


The Little Things

by celestial_author



Series: The Little Things Au [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, College Setting, Depression, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Happy Ending, Langst, M/M, Negative Thoughts, Nerves, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, The team is going through some shit, a lot is going on, eventually, klance, klangst, letlancerest2k18, overwhelming feelings, part of life, team supporting lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-05-19 21:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14881490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestial_author/pseuds/celestial_author
Summary: Lance thought he would be okay.  It was a rough week, and he had to help his friends out a bit.  No problem.  He was fine.  Everything was fine.But it wasn't.It wasn't fine.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is more of a vent fic more than anything. It’s been… a little rough.  
> That being said, this will have some negative aspects throughout the chapters to it so just read to your own comfort okay? If I make you uncomfortable, it’s really not my intention. There’s nothing too intense, just negative thoughts at the moment.

Things to know:

_Lance’s Thoughts_

**_Lance’s Negative Thoughts_ **

…

It was always the little things…  The little things that could help, the little things that could mean so much, the little things that Lance seemed to have the knack of picking up.  Lance wouldn’t have called himself the most observant person by any means, but there were some things that he had always kept an eye out for. It was just something he was simply natural at.  Don’t get him wrong, he could still miss certain things, he just cared deeply enough to always be on the watch. So after a while of picking up on small details, he could always tell when something was bothering a person, or when they were getting close to a breaking point.  They were all human, and he knew his friends for _years_ so he would help in any way he could when it happened.

This time wasn’t so different… or at least it wasn’t at first.  But… it just seemed like it wasn’t anybody’s week…

Him included.

…

**Monday - 6:50 am**

Lance laid quietly in his bed, staring at the pale blue wall that had never seemed to  changed in the last six or so hours as he had hoped. He would occasionally blink slowly, hoping that if he lingered long enough, the exhaustion at the edge of his eyes would take over but no, the peaceful and welcomed darkness never seemed to come, teasing him.  Instead his thoughts seemed to creep closer, grew louder, and the only escape was to open his eyes again and focusing on the different details that were on his wall. Lance was fairly confident that if he had to, he could recreate an exact replica of the wall, memorizing the paint that dried in small bubbles, the lines of the brush strokes, and even where it seemed to have a layer more.  

He was sure that his phone would go off soon for his 7:00 am alarm, if the birds chirping and the room growing brighter was any indication.  He sighed, knowing that meant he would have to drag himself out of bed soon enough to get ready for the day. Honestly… he debated if he actually wanted to get up for the day.  Realistically he could stay home, but then he would miss an entire day of classes which he wasn’t exactly fond of either. One missed class and it seemed like he missed an entire section that he wouldn’t be able to teach himself.  

He sighed once again, mustering up any motivation that he could.  Just as he thought, the phone went off, but what he wasn’t expecting was the ringtone instead of the normal chiming that his alarm had been set to.  By the ringtone, he found a new motivator as he picked up his cell phone, pushing himself up and looking at the caller ID just to confirm his thoughts.  He rubbed the brightness from his eyes and quickly answered.

“Keith?  Is everything-”

“L-Lance!   _Fuck_ , I can’t find _it_!” He said, cutting him off.  He was yelling, breathing heavily and by the sounds of it, rushing around the apartment and probably tearing it apart.  He was panicking. He wasn’t making total sense, and was clearly agitated about something.

“Keith.  Keith hey, hey I need you to stop moving and focus on me.  Keith, _focus_ on me.” He said, keeping his voice calm and quiet.  

“I don’t have _time_ to focus on you!  I have to find it! It’s due today and if I don’t find it I could fail the fucking course!” Keith snapped and Lance tried not to feel hurt.  

 **_He doesn’t want you!  You’re only making things worse!_ **  

Lance shook his head.

“What are you looking for?  Keith I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what _it_ is!” He stressed, pulling the sheets off himself and rushing to the closet, pulling out a random outfit and throwing it on, not even paying attention to what it was at all.

“The sketchbook!  I’m looking for the fucking sketchbook Lance!” Keith snapped harshly, going as far as to growl in frustration.  

 **_You idiot!  It was obvious what he was looking for, you’re so fucking stupid you’re just stressing him out more!_ **   

“Did you check the bag you used yesterday?” He asked, thinking back to when they were studying.  

“Of course I fucking did!  It’s not here Lance! It’s not fucking here!” Keith was getting angrier by the second, and he could hear something crash in the background.  He seemed to take two shaky breaths, teeth grinding as he tried to force himself to calm down. “I… Is it at your place? It has to be…”

“Check your smaller bag, the red and black one.  You didn’t have your usual one Keith, it’s has to be in your other one.” He said.   

**_You told him to carry the smaller bag.  You’re the reason why he’s freaking out!_ **

Keith sounded like he was going to yell at him again but there was more rummaging around before Keith seemed to let out a heavy sigh, voice shaking, and his body probably was too.  There was a long moment of silence, too long for Lance. No breathing, no rummaging, nothing and Lance figured Keith had probably put his phone down or muted himself.

“Keith?” he asked cautiously.  

“Lance.  Lance I found.  I… I’m sor-”

“Don’t.” Lance said quickly, stopping him from finishing his sentence.  “Don’t apologize. Just do me a favor and leave your door unlocked okay?”  

_I understand Keith.  It’s not your fault._

**_It’s yours._ **   

“Lance I-”

“I’m coming over okay?  I’m going to bring some breakfast and some coffee.  Then we can sit back and watch cartoons until it’s time for us to go to class.” It may not have sounded like it was, but it was an offer.  Keith could say no if he wanted, but he knew Keith needed company, needed reassurance right about now. So he pushed, but only a little.

“Uh…  yeah… yeah…  sounds good.” He mumbled, a sigh of relief escaping him.  

**_You’re just going to make it worse._ **

“And Keith?” He asked, pausing at the door before he rushed out.   

“Y-Yeah?” The small twinge in his voice was clear, and Lance knew that meant he was feeling guilty.  

“It’s okay.  I’m really glad you called me.  You can call me anytime, I mean that.  I’m not upset with you.” He reassured, smiling softly.

_I’m really happy you relied on me._

**_He wouldn’t have had to if you didn’t set him off._ **

“...Thank you Lance.” Keith mumbled, relief clear in his tone.  

“Anytime Keith.  I mean it. I’ll be over in about 20.” He said, grabbing his bag and keys before walking out the door, completely forgetting to do his morning routine.  

**_…_ **

**Monday - 7:34am**

He didn’t know how he did it, but he thanked whatever god that seemed to be looking out for him.  He managed to balance two cups of coffee in a carrying tray with a bag of food in one hand while he used his other to fumble with his keys and unlocking the door.  He pushed himself into his boyfriend’s apartment, going straight to the kitchen and tossing his keys onto the counter before setting their breakfast down. He sighed in relief, taking a second to let his arm rest from the strain before walking out the kitchen to take a look around.  He winced, finding the mess to be as bad as he had thought it would be. Furniture was moved, some flipped, while papers and decorations were strewn about on the floor. But nothing was broken, and nothing looked dangerous to cause Lance to worry about Keith accidentally hurting himself.  He looked to the walls at the thought though, making sure there were no holes or dents. When he didn’t find any, he started to make his way to Keith’s room, placing each step carefully.

_How long did he wait before calling me?_

**_Probably all morning.  Maybe if you were more reliable, he wouldn’t have waited so long._ **

“Keith?  Hey, it’s me Lance!” He called through the bedroom door, doing his best to push the thoughts away and solely focusing on Keith.  A minute or so had passed, but Lance didn’t move, patiently waiting outside the door. He was going to wait until he knew Keith was ready.  And he was after another moment.

“The door’s unlocked.” Came a mumble, and then a pause.  “You can come in.” Lance took a steady breath before opening the door slowly, taking a quick sweep of the room.  It looked much like the living room, but again, nothing seemed to be dangerous to cause any harm to Keith so he looked back to him.  

Keith sat at his desk, his eyes downcast and hidden by his bangs, his hands gripping one another.  Lance could see that his jaw was clenched, occasionally twitching as Keith tried not to grind them.  He didn’t make a comment, didn’t linger with anything in the room, he just walked over and knelt in front of him in attempt to get Keith to look at him, but the other turned away a bit, eyes glaring at some invisible force.  

“Hey…” He called softly, leaning forward and gently placing his hands on Keith’s.  Keith seemed to relax a bit, taking a deep breath through his nose before he relaxed his hands enough to show Lance that he had been holding something.  Lance blinked, finding a familiar pendent in his hands, a small smile forming. The pendent was a simple red stone, smooth to the touch and if left alone for a few minutes, it was cold.  Lance had thought it would help Keith ground himself, and it had in the past. When he looked back up, Keith looked irritated, still glaring and refusing to look at him. He opened his mouth to ask, but Keith beat him to it.  

“I…  I broke the chain.” He said, growling a bit under his breath.  “I didn’t mean to. It got caught and I was so damn frustrated I just pulled and it snapped.”  Lance nodded a bit, gently taking it and looking at the chain. Definitely needs a new one. But if this had been on his neck…

“Are you okay?” He asked, trying to get a look at his neck, but Keith moved, eyes quickly darting to his.  

“What?” He asked, brows furrowing in frustration.

“Are you okay?  Is your neck okay?” Lance asked, reiterating what he meant.  

“Why are you worried about that?” Keith snapped and Lance knew he shouldn’t, but he leaned closer, trying to get a better look at his neck.

“Because you could have gotten hurt.” He answered as Keith tried to lean away, but Lance was stubborn and slowly reached out to move his hair out the way.

“Why aren’t you upset with me!?”

“Keith please, just let me-”

“Don’t touch me!” Keith snapped, smacking Lance’s arm away.  Lance flinched, wincing when he felt the sting in his arm as he quickly drew it back to himself, guilt washing over him.

**_You’re making it worse!_ **

Lance backed up a little, swallowing the lump that was rising in his throat.  Keith seemed to register what he did, eyes widening as the guilt washed over him again.  He started to reach out, and Lance was willing to let him touch him, but Keith flinched back as if he was burned.  Lance took an exaggerated deep breath then, looking at Keith and taking another one until Keith started to copy him, his thumb running along the stone as he did so.  It took about five minutes, but when everything was finally settled, Keith looked absolutely exhausted, anxiety melting away as grounded himself more and more.

“I’m sorry for hitting you.  Are you okay?” Keith asked, staring at Lance’s arm, glancing up at him as he spoke.  He held his hand out for Lance’s, silently asking to see his arm.

“I forgive you.  It doesn't hurt anymore so I’m fine.  I’m sorry for pushing.” He scooted closer, slipping his fingers into Keith’s and showing him where his arm was hit.  It wasn’t bruised or anything, but he knew Keith would assume it did until he saw otherwise.

**_You’re just going to ruin it again!  You’re going to push and eventually he’ll get fed up with you and then-_ **

“You were only trying to help… I’m grateful for that.  I’m grateful for you.” Keith said and suddenly the voice, his own voice fell silent.  It scared him. But he still couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his face.

_Focus on Keith._

“Can I check your neck now?” He asked, smiling a little more.  

“Yeah…  It kind of hurts.” He admitted, smiling sheepishly before tilting his head to let him take a look.  Lance pushed his hair back, spotting the angry red line of where the chain had tugged at him.  At further inspection there was a thin cut, the blood already clotting up.

"Come on Samurai, to the bathroom so we can get that cleaned up.” He said, smiling a little before and holding his hand out for him.  Keith took it, smiling back and getting up and following him out. In the bathroom, he leaned down and grabbed his first aid kit from under the sink. Lance quickly took it from him, hopping onto the sink and motioning Keith to come closer.  

“I should get you those magnet chains.  That way if it gets caught, it’ll just snap off.” Lance mused, pouring alcohol into a cotton ball before gently cleaning the cut.  Keith hissed slightly and Lance gave him an apologetic look before continuing. Wiping the dried blood away, it started to bleed again, but not to the extent where he was worried.  He grabbed a bandaid and placed it on, gently rubbing around the cut.

“Yeah, well the problem with that I’d be too worried about losing it.” Keith said, leaning down and kissing his forehead.  “Thank you.”

“Fair.” He said, smiling before wrapping Keith into a tight hug, Keith wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist.  

“After I turn my assignment in, what do you say about skipping the rest of the day?  Go to the park, take a nap and just… ignore the world a little bit.” He mumbled.

“Such a bad influence.” Lance teased, laughing a little before sighing and leaning further onto him.  “I wish I could say yes. But, I can’t miss class. Me, Pidge, and Hunk have this group project in this one class, and I’ve got this exam in the other.  And then my last class decided that it was mandatory to come in because of a guest speaker.” He sighed. Keith gently pulled back, looking at Lance.

_**Now look what you did.  He’s disappointed. He hates that you’re just always so busy!** _

“You sound pretty swamped.  Just… Don’t push yourself okay?” He asked, lifting a hand to brush some of the curls back.  Curls… Lance completely forgot about his morning routine, no wonder Keith was looking at him like that.  

_**You’re making him worry again.  God, don’t you ever stop? You look like absolute shit and now he’s gotta worry about you all day.** _

“I-I’m fine.” Lance laughed nervously, looking down a bit.  “After this week, I should be less busy, and then we can do all the little dates to the park you want.” He leaned into his hand, focusing on the feeling rather than the voice that kept pestering him. 

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Keith asked, thumb running along his cheek, pressing small kisses to the other.  

_**Go ahead.  Tell him!  Or lie like you usually do~.** _

“Of course I will.  You know me. Lancey Lance ready to take on anything.” He joked, getting Keith to laugh and shake his head. 

_**You liar.** _

“Alright Lover Boy.  Let’s get going before we’re late to class.” He said, pulling Lance off the sink before leading him out.  They grabbed all their belongings, Lance making sure to grab the breakfast they nearly forgotten.   He also made sure Keith had everything before they both walked out, walking together until they had to part at the split in the path.  

Lance took a deep breath.  He could make it through the day…  He could do it.

…

**Monday - 6:38pm**

Lance was exhausted.  He was also extremely frustrated.  He had hoped things would go smoother after his night, but as it turns out, it still haunted him while he was in class despite any of his attempts to shake out of it.  He couldn’t seem to focus on anything, zoning out when he was in the middle of taking notes and even in the middle of conversations.

He thought his first class would help him wake up more, especially since it was one of his favorite classes and he was taking it with his two friends from High School.  They were the Garrison Trio!  So when Pidge seemed to snap at him more than usual while working on their project, he reluctantly lost that hope. Hunk hadn’t seemed himself either, completely distracted and only proving the frustrate Pidge more.  In the end, they ended up working on their own, all agreeing to meet up another time to go over the group project when everyone seemed to feel better.

He was also pretty sure he blew the exam he had that day, zoning out then too.  He repeated the same question over and over again for about ten minutes before actually kicking it into gear.  He just barely managed to finish his exam, answering the last question right as the alarm went off. His professor seemed concerned, especially since Lance always seemed to finish at the halfway point, but he quickly used the fact that he was running late to his last class as an excuse to run off before they could talk about it.

His last class really put the icing on the cake though.  The guest speaker who came was completely boring, making it hard for Lance to stay awake, let alone listen to a word he was saying.  It only got worse though when he was suddenly called out to answer a question, his Professor no doubt taking advantage of his dozing to embarrass him in front of the whole class.  Well, she got what she wanted. He couldn’t answer the question, hearing a few of his classmates snicker and laugh around him while he got lectured for not paying full attention. To make it worse, she made the threat to take points off.  

It was all just frustrating…  He was looking forward to seeing Keith at the park though, pulling his phone out and ready to call him.  But a few notifications stopped him. He had three message notifications, all from Keith.

[Keith]: I really hate to cancel on our little date, I really do, but I heard one of my foster sister just went into the hospital.

[Keith]: She’s fine!  She’s just going into labor right now.  So maybe not totally fine considering how painful giving birth is.

[Keith]: Anyway, I’m driving down so I’ll be gone for a few days.  Call me if you need me okay? I love you.

Lance bit his lip, sighing a bit.  He wanted to be happy for Keith’s sister, he really did, but he was kind of annoyed that she decided now, of all times to be going into labor.  

_**Now you’re just being selfish!  What would everyone think if they knew…  Selfish. Selfish. Selfish. Selfish. Se-** _

He winced.  He pushed himself into his room, dropping his stuff by the door before slipping out of his pants, leaving them on the floor where they fell.  He was too tired to care at this point, climbing into his bed and wrapping the blankets around him. He plugged his phone in, checked his alarms before typing up a quick message.

[Lance]: Drive safe babe.  Text me when you get there okay?  And what I said this morning still stands.  You can always call me.

[Lance]: I love you.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for a very long update! I have been traveling and I haven't had the time to actually sit and upload everything. 
> 
> Anyway, here it is!

**Tuesday – 2:36am**  
  
Sleep was something that continued to evade Lance. He had fallen asleep, but it only seemed to last a few minutes before his eyes opened again. Through the tossing and turning, he also grew extremely uncomfortable, the room getting a tad warmer than tolerable. If he didn’t feel the sweat on him, he probably could have ignored it, but when he ran a hand through his hair and felt the sweat that had matted down his hair, he was officially fed up. It didn’t help that now he could smell it along with the lingering scent of his lunch from the day before that clung to his shirt.  
**  
_Wow… you’re absolutely disgusting_**  
  
Lance groaned, kicking the sheets off before sitting up. He grabbed his phone, carefully unplugging the charger. He noticed the notification light and unlocked his phone, wincing at the time before checking his messages. There was three from Keith, five from Hunk, and two from his mother. He smiled a little, figuring she was probably reminding him of something or checking in. He ignored the messages for now though, the smell of sweat reminding him that he really needed to shower. Maybe, if he cooled down enough, he could go back to sleep...  With that thought in mind, he should probably get his room to cool down too.  
  
He shifted a bit before getting up, walking to the window and quickly opening it. He sighed contently when he felt the breeze, closing his eyes as he felt it brush through his hair, nipping at his nose and cheeks. He looked down at the street for a while, leaning against the pane. A lone car drove by, music playing softly from the windows and slowly growing quieter as it drove by. It wasn’t completely silent however, crickets chirping and the occasional breeze rustling the trees. He pushed himself off the pane, leaning down and grabbing his small fan from under his bed. He sat it on the pane and quickly turned it on, the fan sucking the cool air into his room. Satisfied, he grabbed his phone and went into the bathroom. He pulled his music up and put it on shuffle, humming along to the song that started.  
  
…  
  
When he finished showering, he doubled check that he cleaned himself thoroughly before getting out, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. He walked into his room and shivered, the room cooling down significantly from what it was before. He kept the towel around him, debating on whether he should put pajamas on or clothes for the day. He blinked a few times, feeling the exhaustion at his eyes but he was wide awake. Knowing him, he probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep any time soon. He sighed and decided on getting dressed for the day.  
  
_I could probably get some homework done. Maybe start on the project._  
_**  
You sure you should? What if you start it wrong because you’re an idiot.**_  
  
Lance frowned, grabbing his back pack up and moving to his desk. He pulled all of his notebooks out, siting his laptop off to the side and then grabbing whatever pen he could find. He pulled his textbooks from the shelf besides his desk, placing them besides their corresponding notebooks. Once he was fully organized, he started with the class he had started with. Going through his notes… was frustrating. He could tell exactly where he started to doze off, and where he seemed to gain attention again. He was at least able to write down the chapters that seemed to be the focus for the lesson. He could probably ask Hunk to help him if he didn’t seem to understand anything.  
  
_Hunk! That’s right! Hunk messaged me._  
_**  
Way to forget. Seems you forgot about Keith and your ma too. What if something was wrong? All you did was ignore them!**_  
  
Lance swiped his phone up quickly. He noted the time was now 3:21am before looking through his messages, starting with his mother first.  
  
[Mi Reina]: Mijo!  
  
[Mi Reina]: Don’t forget. Dinner next Tuesday, your cousins are visiting. Bring Keith!  
  
Lance smiled. At first he was scared half to death when his mother met Keith, especially since he never told her about his sexuality. But after literally two hours, his mother loved Keith, and was always asking about him when he was never around. So when he finally shared that they were dating, she simply smiled and said, “I know.” Lance had always been oblivious, and that day he learned that he definitely got it from his father. He would message her later. If he messaged her now…  
  
****_She’d worry about you. Would waste her sleep time trying to make you feel better. Or worse, wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep! She barely sleeps well as it is! Do it! Make her worry!_  
  
Lance quickly checked Keith’s next.  
  
[Keith]: Made it safely. I didn’t speed… too badly.  
  
[Keith]: Bad joke sorry. I’m spending the night at my mom’s. She already asked about you and how you’re doing. Told me to make sure you’re sleeping well and all.  
  
[Keith]: Based on how you’re not texting me back, I’m guessing you’re either sleeping, which good because you definitely looked tired. If you’re doing homework or working on something and haven’t seen it till later, go to bed. I love you too.  
  
Lance grimaced at the joke, but didn’t linger on the thought. He chuckled at the mention of his mother though, smiling as he remembered the woman that looked like she could kill someone in an instant. He was intimidated the first time he met her, but after talking to her after an hour or so, he quickly relaxed. She was funny, witty and was definitely Keith’s mother. He quickly typed up a response.  
  
[Lance]: Please be careful.  
  
[Lance]: I did go to sleep for a while, just woke up. I showered and going to try to go back to sleep now.

 _ **Liar!**_  
  
[Lance]: Tell your Ma I said hello~! You better tell her I’m doing well. I’m off to dreamland~!  
  
He felt guilty for lying, but eventually he would try to go back to sleep so… He sighed and got ready to read Hunk’s flurry of messages, wondering why Hunk was up when he received yet another message. It was weird honestly, he was usually in bed by now, being more of a morning person than any of their friends. With that thought in mind, he opened his messages, blinking a few times before laughing a little.  
  
[Hunk]: Lance.  
  
[Hunk]: Buddy.  
  
[Hunk]: My bro for life  
  
[Hunk]: Lance please! I know you’re awake!!  
  
[Hunk]: Okay… by some miracle you’re sleeping rn. In that case I feel kind of bad for spamming you with messages.  
  
[Lance]: I did fall asleep, but the heat woke me up. Just got out the shower.  
  
[Lance]: What’s up big man?  
  
[Hunk]: OH THANK GOD  
  
[Hunk]: Okay. Okay so you were right.  
  
[Lance]: About?  
  
[Hunk]: About… um…. You were right about Shay…  
  
[Lance]: You DO like her!!!!!!  
  
[Hunk]: Yes. Yes I do  
  
[Lance]: I knew it!  
  
[Lance]: I KNOW LOVE WHEN I SEE IT  
  
[Hunk]: IT ISN’T LOVE! OMG slow down. Yes I really like her, but it’s not like I’m uh, in love or anything.  
  
[Lance]: Nah nah nah.  
  
[Hunk]: Lance PLEASE.  
  
**_You’re starting to annoy him. You’re probably making him more nervous about all of it. You’re messing with him._** Lance winced and quickly typed an apology.  
  
[Lance]: I’m sorry.  
  
[Hunk]: Thank you…  
  
[Hunk]: Anyway… I was texting you because… well… you’ve been in a lot relationships before.  
  
**_None of them lasted long…Who knows how long your current one is going to last…?_**  
  
[Lance]: Gee thanks.  
  
[Hunk]: What I’m trying to say is… I need your help. I want to ask her out…

Lance blinked a few times, reading over the sentence a few times before leaning back against his chair. Hunk wanted to ask Shay out. Normally, if Lance was still single and wanted to ask a girl out, he would put his heart into it. Flowers, chocolates, maybe a song or poem at ready before officially asking the girl to date him. Of course… realistically he probably wouldn’t do that anymore considering how he and Keith started dating. If Hunk took Keith’s approach, it would probably be better, especially since Hunk was easily nervous and pretty shy about the whole thing. When it came to him and Keith, it was Keith who asked him out, casually walking up to him one day and asked, bluntly, to go on a date with him. (He later found out that Keith had a near anxiety attack afterwards, learning that Keith was actually really anxious about the whole thing.) He hummed in thought.

[Lance]: Okay… So we’ll be subtle about it. No big show, nothing like how I would usually do it.  
You’d most likely ruin it that way.

[Hunk]: Okay… So…?

[Lance]: So. What you should do is probably find her on campus tomorrow, some time between classes.

[Hunk]: We have a class together near lunch time. Is that good?

[Lance]: Perfect!

[Lance]: Okay so after class, ask when she’s free. If you guys don’t have the same time free, then that’s when you can ask her for her number.

[Hunk]: Oh that’s a good idea!

[Hunk]: Wait, what if we do have the same availability?

[Hunk]: How do I get her number then? What if she doesn’t want to hang out? What if she thinks I’m weird? A nerd?

[Lance]: You are a nerd. But I’m pretty sure that’s why she likes you.

[Hunk]: Laaaannnceeee

[Lance]: lol. Anyway, if you’re both free, ask if she wants to go for a meal? Maybe coffee. Depending on the time you guys are free and how long

[Lance]: When she agrees, cuz she will, ask for her number. That way, if anything happens, you guys can keep in touch.

_**Or be embarrassed and awkward around one another the next day because you guys missed each other because you were late. Or you end up going to the wrong place.  Or so you don’t look like you got stood up, even though you did. Or-** _

[Hunk]: You’re a genius!!  
  
[Lance]: I try. Anyway, get some sleep so you can be ready for tomorrow.  
  
[Lance]: Technically later on today.  
  
[Hunk]: Thanks Lance! You’re the best!!!!  
  
[Lance]: Yeah yeah. As long as I’m still your best man for your wedding.  
  
[Hunk]: Obviously.  
  
[Hunk]: Night!  
  
Lance smiled, sending a response before yawning, stretching his arms out as he blinked the blurriness away. The light on his phone blinked blue a few times before Lance gave in. He unlocked it and noticed that Keith had texted him back.  
  
[Keith]: Sleep well. And if you can’t, I’ll be up for a while if you want to talk?  
  
Lance bit his lip. It was tempting. It was very tempting to just hit the call button, to talk to him about his day, to complain or maybe even cry in frustration. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to put that all on Keith’s shoulders, especially since he was with his foster sister, about to become an uncle. Lance wasn’t about to ruin the moment he was going to be sharing with his family over him feeling a little down. He locked his phone without responding before delving into his studies. If he couldn’t sleep, he might as well as be productive.  
  
_**Especially since you weren’t yesterday.** _  
  
…

 **Tuesday – 8:05am**  
  
Lance was in the middle of trying to figure out an equation when three loud knocks came from his door. He jumped in his chair, almost shouting as he knocked down a few of his books. He looked down at the equation for a second before setting his pencil down, checking the time. While it annoyed him that he hadn’t slept in the last five or so hours, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that he hadn’t completely ignored an entire class while he was working. When he heard the knock again, he finally got up, going over to answer it. To his surprise, Hunk was standing at his door.  
  
“Hunk?”  
  
“Oh good you’re awake, and already dressed! I brought breakfast, and by the looks of your desk, I’m glad I brought you coffee too.” He said, Lance stepping back to let him inside. He did perk up at the smell of coffee, his exhaustion pressing against his eyes as a reminder that it was still there.  
  
“I love you.” He said, making grabbing hands at the coffee in his hands. Once he had it, he took a cautionary sip, humming at the taste.  
  
“Love you too.” Hunk chuckled, sitting the food down at Lance’s table, taking a seat and quickly taking the contents out of the bag.  
  
Lance watched Hunk for a moment, taking a seat across from him as he sipped his coffee. Hunk was fidgeting, hyper focusing on setting up breakfast. It was all homemade, Hunk no doubt cooking it all before he came over. He served Lance first, knowing precisely how much Lance would eat and what he would eat. He didn’t talk either, too busy biting his lower lip as his eyes shifted over all the food. His leg bounced on occasion, only stopping when Hunk noticed how much he was shaking the table. He was nervous… Lance put his coffee down before reaching over and placing a hand on Hunk’s shoulder.

_He looks ready for a nervous breakdown..._

_**Careful.  You could set him off any second.  Say something!**_  
  
“Breakfast looks amazing Hunk.” He said, obnoxiously taking a sniff of everything. Hunk relaxed for a second, smiling wide at the compliment.  
  
“Thank you! I uh… kind of went on a small cooking frenzy so I figured I’d come over and have breakfast with you because you’re helping me out, plus, I figured you could use the coffee.” He said, before popping a slice of an apple into his mouth. Lance laughed a little.  
  
_You just don’t want to be alone right now… I got you buddy._  
  
**_Just make sure you don’t fuck up like you usually do…_**  
  
“Well then, let’s get to it!”  
  
...  
  
**Tuesday – 3:45pm**  
  
“Okay buddy. You can do it.” Lance encouraged, sitting up from his spot next to Hunk. He had ended up going to class with Hunk, wanting to help him with his nerves, helping each time Hunk seemed to get distracted. Now that class was over, Hunk was getting nervous again, biting at his lip, leg bouncing as he tried to focus on his notes.  
  
“I don’t know Lance…” He mumbled.  
  
“Shay is finishing up her notes, you can start it off by asking if she got the last of the notes, especially since that last slide went by pretty quick.” Lance offered. Hunk hummed before taking a deep breath.  
  
“You’ll stick around?” He asked.  
  
“Of course. I’m committed to you by bro-marriage.” Lance smiled as Hunk laughed, nodding a bit.  
  
“But… what if things go wrong?” He asked.  
  
“Then I’ll buy all of your favorite ice-cream and food, and we’ll go on a bro-date where I’ll confess that I’m in love with you and leave Keith behind.” He offered, smirking. Hunk laughed again, shaking his head a bit before finally getting up.  
  
Lance watched as Hunk made his way over to Shay, holding his notebook close to his side, gripping it to where he bent the cover. Lance almost went over, but when he calmly got Shay’s attention, he eased into his seat. He couldn’t hear them, but he knew Hunk was offering his notes, probably helping her fit the pieces in, maybe even asking for help with understanding something himself considering he was distracted throughout the class. It was cute honestly. After a while, Hunk starting rubbing the back of his neck, fidgeting with his fingers as he spoke. By the color that flushed Shay’s face, Lance could officially say, that things were going well. He smiled and crossed his arms over his desk, resting his chin on his arms and letting his eyes fall shut.  
  
_I was able to help him… I’m really glad I was able to help him._ Lance smiled to himself.  
  
_**So you can be useful! Ah but for how long? Now that he’s done with you, you should go home. Go away before you mess up!**_  
  
_Hunk needs me to stay though… he asked me to. If I leave now, he’ll get nervous about the date. He’ll get upset and won’t go through with it._  
  
_**Does he really though?  Not very confident in your friend now are you?  That's pathetic.  You really think he needs you?**_  
  
“…nce?” Lance frowned a bit, his thoughts pushing back and forth.  
  
_I just want to help him!_

 ** _Will you be able to?_**  
  
“Lance?” Lance jolted a bit, feeling a hand on his shoulder as he shot up. He looked towards Hunk, blinking a bit. He must of dozed off…  
  
“Sorry, sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought.” He laughed, scratching his cheek. Hunk smiled, laughing a bit himself.  
  
“You’re fine. You sure you don’t want to go home and get some rest?” He asked, looking worried.  
  
_**It’s always about you huh?**_  
  
“Are you kidding? And miss out on your love life? Nope! Speaking of? How’d it go?” He asked, sitting up and noticing that Shay had already left.  
  
“It went… Awesome! We’re going to catch lunch tomorrow, and with your help, I also got her number!” He cheered, his face turning a darker shade as he thought about it. Lance smiled wide before jumping up and embracing him, cheering as well.  
  
“I told you! I told you that you could do it!” He laughed, grabbing his face and giving him a big smooch on the cheek.  
  
“Oh this is awesome! Oh man, I can’t believe it… I can’t believe I did it. I actually did it.” Hunk said in disbelief, still holding onto Lance as he sat down.  
  
“You did. You did.” Lance reassured, patting his shoulder.  
  
“Alright. I’ve got one more class to go to. I’m pretty sure you do too. So, as a thank you, I’m going to get you another coffee.” He said, finally shaking himself out of his stupor and pulling him into a tighter hug.  
  
“You know me so well.” Lance feigned a sniffle before laughing.  
  
Hunk and him laughed again before Hunk gently sat him down, getting up. Lance followed his lead and collected his stuff, following him out of the classroom.  
  
_**And with that… he’s done with you.**_  
  
Lance grimaced at the thought but moved to ignore it as Hunk ordered exactly what Lance would.  It was fine.  He was fine...    
…

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please know that I love your comments, it literally makes me feel better about life in general.  
> Speaking of life, here's another slice of Lance's

**Wednesday - 11:40 am**

Lance rushed towards his classroom, checking the time on his phone before sighing in relief.  He was about ten minutes late, but the warmth that seeped into his hand reminded him that it was totally worth it.  He paused at the door to his class, catching his breath and fixing his clothes a bit before entering. He scanned the class, spotting his friends before quickly making his way over, grateful that the professor hadn’t started.

He sat down between his friends, carefully sitting his coffee on the table before pulling his books out, humming slightly.  He turned to Hunk, greeting him with a large smile and a fist bump. Hunk smiled back, turning back to his bag to look for something.  He then turned to Pidge, noting the small glare they directed towards him.

“Hey Pidge.” He greeted, keeping up his happy tone.

“You’re late.” They said, rolling their eyes and opening their laptop.  

“It was only ten minutes.” Lance pointed out.  

“Ten minutes we could have been using to work on our group project.” They growled, typing in their password with more force than necessary.  Lance frowned and looked to Hunk, raising a brow. Hunk shrugged with an apologetic look, glancing to Pidge. He let the conversation drop in favor of drinking his coffee, grateful when the Professor then called for attention.    

“As a reminder, your projects are due two weeks from now, and your second exam will be in three.  If you haven’t already begun your projects, I suggest you kick it in gear now. Two weeks can go by faster than you think.  I will be giving you time in class today, so use it wisely.” He said, looking around the class, lingering on some of the students.  Pidge made a small noise, Lance looking over to see their jaw clenched, fingers digging into the desk. He rose a brow, a frown settling on his face.  

_Pidge… What’s wrong?_

**_Probably annoyed they had to deal with you.  You were late, probably thought you weren’t going to show up!  You’re stressing them out!_ **

_Stress..._

As the lesson begun, Lance couldn’t help but glance over to Pidge occasionally, as if they would explode if he looked away for too long.  He took down the chapter corresponding to the lesson, adding the outline before shifting his focus a bit more onto his friend.

At a mere glance, Pidge looked fine.  They were looking at the slides, watching the professor, and taking notes on their computer.  But Lance knew differently. There was a look in Pidge’s eyes, one that looked slightly panicked.  The corners of their mouth twitched, probably because they were biting the inside of their mouth and they messed with their nails when they weren’t typing.  Lance leaned back a bit with a stretch, using the new angle to look at their laptop. There were two windows opened that he could see, divided onto the screen so Pidge could look at them both simultaneously.  One was a word document, Pidge typing their notes from the lesson. The other was something Lance saw Pidge use for programing, lines of code being typed in as the Professor spoke. Pidge was multitasking, or at least trying to.  After writing a line of code, they deleted it, Pidge’s fingers twitching slightly before clicking onto a different window. This time it was an article, probably something Pidge was researching for another class.

Pidge was clearly stressed, probably overwhelmed with all of the assignments that were piled onto them.  Lance could relate… While it was normal to get jabs by Pidge when he was late, it was different today. Pidge was genuinely upset, and it was probably because they thought Lance would skip out, which meant they would lose another day of working on their group project, **together**.  They worked separately last class, and they still had a good chunk to tackle.  It would explain their short fuse of patience, because they probably felt like they were running out of time.  

While it usually worked itself out after a few days, Lance could tell it wouldn’t this time with the way they were trying to work on everything right now.  Pidge needed a break, and Lance was going to make them because no one else would. Hunk was probably thinking about his lunch date, completely unaware of what was happening right now, not that Lance could blame him considering he was probably a nervous wreck.  Keith was out of town at the moment, so he wouldn’t be able to, and he hadn’t seen Allura or Shiro in some time. He knew if they were around, they would all do it. It would have been easier if he had them around, but hey, he could take care of it no problem.

_Hopefully…_

…

**Wednesday - 1:15 pm**

“Alright, now that we got all the basic information down, all we need to do is highlight some the key parts.” Hunk said, clapping his hands together and looking over his notes.  

They had spent the last forty-five minutes working on their project, tackling some of the larger aspects of it.  Lance smiled down at his notes, feeling a bit proud of himself since he was the once that came up with what they were doing.  Pidge had seemed to relax a bit too, Lance making sure they only focused on the project instead of being sidetracked with jokes.  While he loved to joke around, he knew it would only frustrate Pidge, so he eased up on the fooling around.  Hunk closed his notebook, looking at his phone, his nerves clearly coming back.   Pidge didn’t seem to notice.

“Okay but we still have to-”

“Easy Pidge.  We got a lot done today, so let’s wrap it up for now.  Plus, Hunk has a date to go to.” Lance reminded, placing a hand on their shoulder as an apology for cutting them off.

“But we need to-”

“-take a break.  Come on. You and I have reservations at a nearby place.” He said, hoping it would persuade Pidge to settle down.  He felt bad for cutting Pidge off again, but Hunk was already tyring to make his escape and he was getting worried.

“I owe you one.” Hunk whispered before rushing out.  Pidge growled and pulled away from Lance, clicking their tongue in annoyance.

“Whatever.” They mumbled, reluctantly putting their belongings away.  Lance had thought he won, but Pidge got up and was ready to leave without him.  

“Hey!  Where do you think you’re going?  We’re going for lunch remember?” He asked, raising a brow.

“I’m going home.” Pidge huffed, continuing their exit.  Lance scrambled after them, quickly stepping in front of them.  

“Come on Pidge.”

“I don’t have time for this Lance.” Their eyes narrowed a bit and they moved to walk around him.  Lance stuck his arm out to stop them again.

“Then make time.” He reasoned.  

“Go away Lance!” They snapped, shoving his arm away.  

**_You’re going to regret this._ **

“Pidge.” He said gently, grabbing their arm and pulling them back.  He braced himself, knowing full well he was pushing Pidge too far, but it was needed.

“I don’t have time for your bullshit Lance!  What don’t you get!?  Are you really that fucking stupid!?  I’m not here to play your stupid games, I’m not here to fucking deal with your shit!  I have too much work to do, so leave me the fuck alone already! God you’re so fucking annoying!” They yelled, slapping his arm away.  The students around them stopped, looking over to see what was happening.  But Lance didn’t pay them any mind, ignoring the sting in his arm as he looked down at Pidge.  He tried not to take it to heart, tried not to feel hurt by Pidge’s words, but there was only so much Lance could ignore. Pidge was glaring at him, breathing heavily as the anger boiled in their eyes.  He took a deep breath, closing his eyes if only to escape the look for a moment.

**_Can’t argue with something that’s a fact._ **

“This doesn’t concern any of you so move on!” He called to the students who were watching them, looking at them with a pointed look.  Some flinched and quickly rushed away, some turned to their friends and whispered.  He ignored them and looked back to Pidge, surprised by the reaction he got.  They flinched, eyes widening as it seemed to really sink in what they had just done.  Guilt washed over anger, tears forming at the corners of their eyes.  It was then he decided that he rather have Pidge look angry at him then looking near tears.  

“Lance I-”

“Follow me Pidge.” He said softly, giving them a small smile.  They flinched at their name but nodded, walking next to Lance as they walked out the building.  

While they could have easily gone to a nearby cafe, or even the dining halls, Lance picked a place that was about fifteen minutes away, just on the edge of campus.  The Diner that Lance was taking Pidge was the group’s favorite place to hang out for several different reasons. The main one though, was because that’s where they had all met.  While yeah it was a bit out of the way, it gave Pidge time to walk in peace.  It also gave Lance time to clear his head.

When the Diner came into view, he noticed the way Pidge’s shoulders relax a little, walking a bit closer to him.  He smiled a little and gently patted their head without a word.  When they walked in, he called back to the waiters and waitresses, greeting them all.  He knew every single one of them, which wasn’t surprising considering he also worked there. He walked up to the booth where they usually waited to be seated, but instead of waiting, he reached back and grabbed one of the notepads that sat there.  He wrote down his own order, knowing exactly what he wanted before looking to Pidge.

“Want me to pick for you, or do you have a meal in mind?” He asked.  Pidge shifted a bit before shaking their head.

“Surprise me.” They said, smiling a bit.  Lance smirked and wrote down a meal that he knew Pidge would enjoy.  He then went towards the back, hanging up their orders before calling back to the cooks, greeting them.  After having a small chat, he found Pidge at their usual booth, sitting across from them.

“Feeling better?” He asked, placing his chin in his hand.

“Yeah…  I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier.  I’ve just been…” They trailed off, wringing their hands together, glancing at their bag on occasion.

“Stressed?  Frustrated? Tired of all the teachers secretly coming together to plan your demise through countless assignments and terrible, overwhelming projects?” Lance offered.  Pidge snickered, rolling their eyes.

“All three.  I feel like if I work on one thing, I’ll completely forget about the other.  And every time I feel like I’m making progress, I take another look and see that I messed it up and have to re-do it.  I can’t even do a simple line of code right now without messing up the compatible sequences!” They huffed, burying their face into their hands.

“Which is why you need a break.” He said.  Pidge opened their mouth to argue but Lance continued.  “Before you say you don’t have enough time, let me remind you that you do.  Two weeks for our project, we’re already three quarters of the way done. We didn’t finish because we lost our motivation to continue.  Hunk had to leave, and with that came with the much needed break from working forty-five minutes straight. Now when we go back, we’ll have a fresh look and will be forced to go over what we did.  It’s the same with your lines of codes. You were pushing yourself so hard, you lost track of some of you numbers. But when you took a break and looked back at it, you spotted your mistakes and fixed it.” Pidge looked at him for a moment, nodding after a minute when they started to understand.  

“Okay…  I get it.” They said reluctantly.  “I just… I don’t want to stop in the middle of it all.”

“You’re not stopping.  You’re only taking a much needed pause my non-binary goblin.” Lance offered.  Pidge laughed.

“Thanks Lance.”  

Lance beamed.  

…

“PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES!!” Pidge cheered, their lunch plates being taken away by the waitress who giggled.  

  
“See, if you didn’t take a break, you wouldn’t be able to have your cookies.” Lance said, giving thanks to the waitress as she walked away.  

“You’re totally right Lance.  Rare as it is, but even you can be right.” Pidge teased and Lance felt his chest swell a bit.  Pidge was back to their usual self, and Lance couldn’t be happier.

“Secretly, I’m a genius.  I just make all of you think I’m not.” He joked, biting into the cake that he ordered.  

“It’s not a secret if we all know.  You’re just as smart as we are.” Pidge said, and Lance faltered slightly at the compliment.  He smiled and looked down at his cake then, using it as an excuse to stay quiet.  Pidge didn’t seem bothered as they dug into their desert, looking around the diner.  

“Hey, where’s Keith been?  Usually he’d be here helping you plot against me.” Pidge asked.

“His sister is having a baby.” He said, smiling at the mention of his boyfriend.  

“Oh, congrats to her!  Nobody told me I was going to have a niece/nephew.  Rude.” They huffed, pouting, making Lance laugh.

“Course not.  We didn’t want the gremlin to be a bad influence.” He teased.  

“Whatever.  I’m just glad I don’t have to see you two love birds doting on each other.” They rolled their eyes, finishing their cookie before humming contently.  

“He’ll be back by the end of the week so I’ll make sure we’ll ‘dote’ on each other right in front of you.” He snickered, avoiding Pidge’s napkin when they chucked it at him.  

“Now that we’re done, how about we work on our homework together?” He asked, clearing the table before pulling his notebook out.  Pidge blinked in surprise before grinning.

“Yeah!  I feel like I can tackle some of my other projects now.  Well, I have a few ideas for it… but I’m not sure what I should do...” They said, pulling their laptop up.  Lance hummed, placing his phone on the table, clicking on the recording app and starting it.

“Bounce your ideas off me, even if I won’t be able to understand.  Sometimes, talking about your project can help.” He offered. Pidge hummed in thought.

“Well, there's this one program I was thinking about developing.  The problem is…” Lance sat there and listened, smiling occasionally when Pidge seemed to get passionate on certain aspects.  Occasionally they would pause to type something onto their computer before looking at him as if he just gave them the answer before continuing on their rant.  Yeah, Lance didn’t really get any work done, but he was taking his own advice and taking a break. Plus, he liked watching his friends, not in a creepy way or anything, just the way they acted, the little quirks they did.  It kept him occupied from his own thoughts as he focused on someone else. It was nice…

…

**Wednesday - 5:27 pm**

“-was making schematics for this one robot, but the design was too clunky for my liking so I tried to modify it so-oh!  I could replace the thicker wires for thinner ones if I can find a way to place them specifically around the attachments to hold them in place.” Lance had no idea when they went from coding to robots, but he didn’t mind it.  But he did notice the way the sun was lowering. He checked his phone, noticing the time before stretching his back and yawning. Pidge echoed him a minute after, looking at him and smiling.

“You look like you need some rest.  Why not call it a day?” They asked, closing their laptop.  

“Ah, someone learned from my lesson.” He snickered before nodding.  He was heavily leaning against the table, eyes struggling to stay open at that point.  

“Have you been sleeping well?” Pidge asked, throwing Lance off.  

“Yeah.” He lied, sitting up and putting the notebook he hadn’t touched away, stopping the recording on his phone.  He quickly sent the audio file to Pidge, giving them something to look back to if they forgot their ideas they didn't write down. 

“You sure…?  You ordered like three coffees while we were here.” They pointed out, looking concerned.  

**_Don’t they have enough to worry about?  Go ahead, make them worry about you too!_ **

“I enjoy the coffee here.  Besides, there isn’t a lot of caffeine in them to begin with.” He shrugged, sipping the last of said drink.

**_Liar.  Liar. Liar.  Liar._ **

“Whatever you say Lance.  Get some sleep tonight alright?” They said, probably their last ditch effort to get something out of Lance.  

“You kidding?  I’m going to be sleeping like a King!” He grinned and finally Pidge moved on, laughing and getting up.  Lance followed them out of the diner, insisting on walking them to their dorm before walking to his own.  

…

**Wednesday - 11:58 pm**

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sleep.  He tried showering before bed, doing his nightly routine and completely relaxing himself.  He opened his window, making his room nice and cool so he wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night too warm for comfort.  When that didn’t work, he tried reading his textbooks, hoping that the boring content of the book would put him to sleep, but even then he was just numb, taking in the information and finding himself weirdly interested.  

What made it worse…  Is that his thoughts were starting to get to him.  The frustration was filling him to the point where it was overflowing into tears.  He tossed the textbook across the room before curling up, his body shaking before a sob broke out.  He sobbed into his hands, moving them to grip his hair and pulling harshly.

**_Pathetic.  Useless. Stupid.  Annoying. Forgettable._ **

“It’s not true…” He cried weakly.  He reached for his phone, scrolling down to Keith’s name, finger hovering the call icon.  He bit his lip, ready to hit it, but he couldn’t.  He couldn’t bother Keith now, not when he’s with his family.  He couldn’t… He tossed his phone away before sobbing harder.

**_Weak._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let Lance rest 2k18.
> 
> I'm thinking of making college au fic based off this too. Let me know if you think I should or not?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be dissappearing for a while for some traveling so the next update will be a litle late! I've very sorry. But if you want to toss me some one shot prompts for me to write while I'm away, feel free to send them to my Tumblr!!

**Thursday - 4:45pm**

The day had seemed to whirl by, going by so fast Lance didn’t have any time to himself like he had wanted.  He was currently running back to his apartment, shouting apologies over his shoulders as he pushed through the crowd of students that were trying to get to their own destination. He had finished classes not too long ago, grateful that his professor had let them out earlier.  Classes had been particularly painful today, both mentally and surprisingly physically.

He started the day off relatively well given that he hadn’t slept again.  He managed to get himself through his morning routine, finding comfort in the way he could control his appearance, if only by a bit.  His eyes were still red and puffy, but after rubbing under his eyes with some cold water for about ten minutes, it went away, erasing any evidence that he had been crying.  He hid the growing bags under his eyes with some makeup, erasing the freckles on his cheeks from view before letting out a satisfied sigh. He straightened his curls out, and by the time he was done getting ready, he felt the negative thoughts ease off a little.  But they were still there, and when he walked to class, he got the reminder.

Lance had picked up his favorite coffee, content with the fact that he was going to make it to class on time.  But when he was about halfway done with his coffee, he had tripped and dropped the cup, the top popping off and setting the liquid energy free.  He felt a bit childish as he thought about how close to crying he was, tears welling in his eyes before he forced himself to pick up the empty cup and top, tossing them away before going to class.  He got to class on time after that, relieved as he got ready for the lecture. Halfway through, the Professor had surprised them with a quiz, one Lance knew he had failed. In his second class, he had been mortified.  He went to sit down, politely greeting the students who usually sat beside him, when his chair seemed to cave in, causing him to land hard on his ass. Part of the chair had dug into his back as he fell, Lance hissing as he felt tears welling up again.  When he moved to push himself up, he also noticed that he had cut his hand from the metal, hissing when he pressed the open wound to the floor. His only comfort was the fact that it was in Professor Coran’s class, who doubled as his advisor. He excused Lance to get cleaned up, as well as offering an escape from the looks the class had casted his way.  He could hear them whispering, heard some of them laughing, and his face heated as he took the offer.

He wouldn’t have called his day the greatest, but he also supposed that it could have been far worse, especially with all the problems that seemed to be swarming his friends.  He met up with Pidge and Hunk for lunch, Hunk insisting they do so, even though it was technically late for lunch. He had apparently gone overboard with cooking during his class break, making lunch for a group instead of one person.  He was still on edge, babbling about his lunch date with Shay and sharing some of the thoughts that seemed to plague him. He also shared that they had another date coming up during the weekend, in which Hunk confessed that he wanted to ask Shay to be his girlfriend then.  Lance had reassured him the best that he could, helping him divide the lunch buffet among the three of them.

Pidge had brought their own lunch, but to Lance’s relief, it wasn’t actually one, which meant Hunk wouldn’t have felt guilty for wasting food. Instead of an actual lunch, Pidge had brought a dozen of peanut butter cookies, munching on them slowly before digging into Hunk’s food.  They were clearly still stressed, and when Lance decided to ask about their ongoing projects, he instantly regretted it when Pidge looked ready to explode, be it crying or screaming. Lance comforted Pidge to the best of his ability then too. Hunk also helped, occasionally throwing words in that he didn’t understood but Pidge did, making them laugh on occasion.

There had been a pause then, a comfortable silence among the three of them.  Lance had broken the silence though, something he now regretted, to ask why Hunk hadn’t invited the other half of their group.  With Keith, it was obvious, considering that he was still home. However, Hunk had explained that he got a text from Allura indicating that she was sick and couldn’t join.  The fact that Lance hadn’t seen or heard from her the last three days meant that it was probably bad. Allura would never let a cold stop her from studying. Shiro had also declined, saying that he had something personal to tend to.  That sent their peaceful lunch into one of concern, and Lance felt guilty for it.

What had surprised him though was how Hunk broke the silence to ask how Lance was doing.  He had hesitated at the question, his gaze drifting away from his friends as he thought about the answer.  He had wanted to go with the usual ‘I’m fine.’ but saying that one too many times would make his friends suspicious.  He then considered sharing what he was going through, but it was a lot to unpack, and he didn’t exactly had the time or the energy for it.  He considered sharing about his day, just to get at least **something** off his chest, but even then he didn’t want to.  He also hated his hesitation because even that was a sign.  The negative thoughts swarmed then, pushing into his head and weighing down his tongue.  He couldn’t share how grateful he was when his phone had went off with a notification to inform he had a message.  But the message only sent him spiraling forward, his eyes widened with panic as he let out a slew of curses. He had forgotten about his shift at the diner, quickly gathering his stuff only to curse more when he forgot his uniform.  He hissed when the strap of his bag had dug into his hand, nearly forgetting the embarrassing wound. Hunk has asked if he was okay, Pidge looking ready to reach out but he quickly got up and out of reach. He threw a short apology and a b.s. explanation to them before rushing off.

That’s why he was running home now, checking the time every so often.  When he finally managed to get to his apartment, he threw his school bag on the floor, not giving it a second glance as he heard his notebooks falling out.  He then nearly destroyed his room looking for his work bag, finding it only when he moved his bed. As suspected, it had fallen against the wall and to his relief, his uniform had been neatly folded inside, a plastic bag holding his work shoes as well.  He took a moment to double, to triple check that he had all of what he needed, stopping in his tracks only to turn around and grabbing his phone charger before finally taking his leave, ignoring the way his legs shook before he broke into a run.

…

**Thursday - 5:12pm**

“You’re late.” His heart sank as he entered the diner, breathing heavily from running the whole way.  He looked to the woman that stood by the booth, Lance nervously fixing himself. The look that he got from his manager was unreadable, and he couldn’t help the panic that rose in his gut.  He was in trouble. He had probably been late too many times. How many times had he called out? Missed a shift?

**_Disappointment!  That’s what you are!  Can’t even handle your job, it’s a surprise you still have it!_ **

“I’m really sorry Luxia!  A few things came up with my friends and I completely forgot and then I had to go home to get my stuff and I ran here as fast as I could and-”

“Hey!  Woah, easy Lance!” She said, cutting him off which made him flinch.  “I was just messing with you sweetie, you’re not in trouble.” She said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.  Lance felt near tears by her reassurance, letting out a long sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his hair, gently pulling it a bit before nodding, laughing awkwardly.

“Sorry.” He said.

 **_Pathetic.  Making such a big deal out of a joke._ ** He didn’t know it was a joke…  

“Don’t be.  Are… are you okay Lance?” She asked, carefully studying him.  

**_You probably look like shit.  Go ahead and cry! Make yet another person worry about you!_ **

“It’s…  just been a day.” He said, laughing bitterly.  “I’m fine though.” He reassured, gathering all his energy to give her a big smile.  

“You sure?  It’s okay if you need to go home.  I can get someone else to close.” She said.  He mentally whined, forgetting he was closing tonight but he didn’t let it show, giving a snort as he essentially threw himself back into gear.  

“Yeah, I'm good.  Besides, knowing you, you’d end up being the one closing.  I don’t want to do that to you.” He said, knowing the middle aged woman had a too caring heart sometimes.  

“Well…” She didn’t look entirely convinced…  

**_Probably worried you’ll fuck up on the job…_ **

“If you change your mind, let me know okay?  I told Plaxum she could go home early if it’s slow tonight, so it'll only be you after Nyma leaves.” She informed.  Lance nodded, standing straight and giving a salute.

“Yes ma’am!” He said before giving her another smile.  She giggled and shook her head, gently touching his cheek.  It reminded him of his mother…

“Please remember that I appreciate you being here.” She said before giving him a small push.  “Now go get dressed honey. College Dinner Rush is near.”

“Not CDR!” He laughed and rushed to the back, going into the employees changing room.

…

**Thursday - 10:37pm**

Lance sighed a bit as he tucked his phone away, glancing out to the booths to see if anyone needed any refills.  On most days, he didn’t mind the crowd of college students, being in his element. He was friendly, finding it easy to start a conversation with practically everyone, even some of the quieter students.  Being that sociable meant he practically knew half the school, and he loved that he was known as a nice guy. The problem was, he could never have a day where he didn’t have to talk to someone. He wasn’t in the mood for jokes or conversations that day, but he still took part, both  because he was working, and because he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. It was exhausting.

**_Fake.  You’re being fake to all of them._ **

He mentally sighed in relief as he wiped down a table, one of his larger groups leaving for the night.  He refrained from making a face at the mess they had met, collecting the dishes to send back to the dishwasher.  He gave an apologetic look to Rolo as he sat the dishes down, reminding him how much he had appreciated the dish washer when he made a face at the concoction the customers had made out of boredom.   

“Seriously?” He said and Lance nearly gagged when Rolo touched it as he started cleaning.  

“Dude I don’t know how you do it, but you’re a blessing.” Lance said before going back out.  He had expected maybe a few customers coming in, maybe even be called over to a table because he was needed.  What he didn’t expect though, was seeing Nyma trying to politely talk with a student who was apparently drunk.  

 _Ah it’s gonna be one of those nights…  On a thursday too…_ He checked on his tables, glancing over to her on occasion as he moved around.  Nyma was more than capable to handle things on her own, but drunk students were always unpredictable so he would worry.  

He was about to take care of a bill when he heard the drunk student’s voice grow louder, angrier.  Nyma looked ready to snap the guy in half, only backing up when he got up and got too close for comfort.  If he didn’t step in now, there was no guarantee that the drunk’s face would leave without a black eye or broken nose.  

“Sir, if you cannot behave yourself, I will have no other choice but to ask you to leave.” Nyma said through gritted teeth, fingers twitching.  

“Awww but ba-babe!  Come ooonnnn. Give me a little smoo-oocchhh.” He slurred, hiccupping occasionally.  Lance sighed and gently placed a hand on Nyma’s shoulder, pulling her back a bit so he could step in between.  

“Sir, that is incredibly inappropriate and not to mention rude.  I’m insisting you take your leave. Now.” He said firmly, leveling him with a glare.  

“Maaaannn whatever.  You guys can’t do shit.” He said, and Lance made a face, smelling the alcohol thick in his breath.

“Sir.  Leave!” He snapped, trying to be as professional as he could about it, raising his voice if only to get the attention of the cooks who were much bigger in muscles from the back.  

“Shut the fuck up!” Lance braced himself as he saw the other raise a fist, finding Nyma’s arm and gripping it.  When the fist connected to his cheek, he winced, his head snapping to the side, but he kept his body still. He swallowed hard, willing the sting behind his eyes away and looking back to the drunk man before him.  

“Let me go Lance.” Nyma hissed, and Lance knew she would go for blood.  

“I’m going to ask you one more time sir.  Please leave. Before I call the cops.” He said calmly.  

“Get the fuck ou-” Lance blinked in surprise when the guy suddenly stopped talking, a hand reaching between them and gripping the front of his shirt.  Following the hand, his eyes actually widened.

“Shiro?”

“You hit or yell at him one more time, I can assure you, I won’t be asking you to leave.” He said, his voice kind.  The drunk student sputtered, apparently sobering up as he pulled away from him, rushing out the door. Lance sighed in relief, wincing when Nyma tugged her arm out of his hold now that he relaxed his grip.

“Lance are you okay?” She asked, turning him around and gently grabbing his chin, examining his cheek.  He winced, mentally kicking himself for it when she noticed.

“I’m fine Nyma.  Just need to ice it a bit is all.” He reassured, grabbing her wrist and offering a smile.  

“You idiot.” She said warmly, “Next time let me kick his ass!” She snapped, glaring at him, unable to hold her annoyance.  He smiled before turning to his savior.

“If you weren’t my hero before, you definitely are now.” He said, laughing when Shiro’s cheeks tinted a bit pink.  

“I’m just glad I came in when I did.  You sure you’re okay? It looks a little red.” He said, looking at his cheek.

**_Weak…  he had to come save your ass because you couldn’t handle it yourself._ **

“It stings a little, but I’m almost done so I’ll take care after I’m done closing.” He said, pausing before looking back to Shiro.  “Have a seat. I’ll get your usual when I’m done with my other tables okay?”

“You sure?” He asked, looking ready to decline but Lance knew better.  Shiro had a distant look in his eyes, shoulders tensing and untensing. Something was wrong, and if the look of debate on his face was any indication, he knew Shiro didn’t just come by for food.  Being their usual spot, their group always tended to show up at the diner, the place offering comfort its familiarity.

“Yeah.  Get settled.” He said, sending him a knowing look.  

…

**Thursday - 11:25pm**

Lance gave a few more thank yous before waving the cooks goodnight, reassuring them that he would finish up, twirling the keys around his finger.  Rolo and Nyma had left earlier, Nyma asking probably one hundred times if he was okay with closing. He was trying not to snap that, yes he was fine, especially since he had to spend the rest of his shift dealing with concerned customers.  He would have probably took her offer to go home while she closed, but the quiet upperclassmen in their group’s usual booth held him there.  He finished up his cleaning, making sure everything was spotless and per Luxia’s liking, declining every offer Shiro made to help.  Once he was done, he grabbed the warm sandwiches from the back, getting some chips and leftover cookies before sitting across from Shiro.

“Lance…  Thank you.” Shiro said, sighing instead of being worried.  After eating there for so long, Shiro gave up on worrying about if it was okay to stay at the diner after hours or not, just grateful for the peace.  

“No problem Dad.” He teased, smiling when he got Shiro to laugh.  “So… everything okay?” Shiro looked at him for a moment before looking down at his food.  

“Just…  had a rough day is all.” He said, popping a chip in his mouth.  

“Want to talk about it?” He offered, picking up his sandwich to take a large bite, finally quieting the growl coming from his stomach.

“Only if you’re going to talk about your day.” He said.  Lance groaned, rolling his eyes a bit.  Either Hunk and Pidge said something to him at some point, or his Dad senses were tingling.  

“No thank you.  Can we just eat in peace, completely ignoring the irrelevant issues in my life?” He asked.  Just as he knew something was wrong with Shiro, the older male somehow knew that something was eating at Lance. Out of all of his friends, Shiro was the second hardest person to hide his emotions from, first being Keith.  Luckily though, Lance could still play it off, mainly because the way Shiro coped was the same way he did. For the most part. While Lance let his emotions bottle up, choosing to shatter them open when he was alone, Shiro opened up with the group when it got to be too much.  Lance liked that because it just showed how much he trusted them, trusted him.

**_Does that mean you don’t trust them?  You’re horrible! They trust you! Why can’t you trust them?_ **

“Are they really irrelevant?” Shiro asked, studying him.  

“Trust me.” He winced at his own choice of words.  “I will completely forget about today when I go to bed.” He said. The sting on his cheek, the sting in the palm, and his own obnoxious thoughts reminded him otherwise.  

They ate then, moving to talk about a common book they read, occasionally cracking jokes.  They talked about school, about their families, just about anything and everything. It was nice, a small getaway that both he and Shiro needed.  When all was done, Lance offered to walk Shiro home, knowing how he felt about the night. It was on the way to his own apartment anyway, and honestly, he also didn’t have to worry about being randomly mugged.  It was nice.

It was a small escape.  

A distraction.

But when Shiro went into his building, leaving Lance to walk ten minutes alone to his apartment, he didn’t have anything to distract him from his own deprecating thoughts.  His fingers twitched over his phone, tempted to call Keith like he did yesterday, but he refrained. He hadn’t gotten any texts from his boyfriend, so that meant that he was either busy or…  he stopped his train of thought. Keith had to be safe. He was probably just busy.

**_Or he doesn’t want to talk to you._ **

He sped up his walk, the wind nipping a little too harshly to his liking as he made his way to his apartment.  To his relief, tomorrow was Friday, meaning no classes. He had a shift in the morning, but after that, he was completely free, and if he couldn’t sleep tonight, he knew that he sure as hell would after work.  He would make himself sleep, even if he had to somehow knock himself out.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is rough... 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Reminder! If you want to toss me some one shot prompts for me to write while I'm away, feel free to send them to my Tumblr!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I was travelng and Season 7 had dropped so you know, shit happens lol

**Friday - 12:32pm**

**_You look like shit…_ **

_ I feel like shit too… _

Lance let out a long sigh as he leaned against the back wall of the back room, leaning his head back and taking a moment to just  _ breathe _ .  His knees occasionally trembled, begging him to take a seat.  He took his phone out to check the time, relief rolling over him as he noticed how close to the end of his shift he was.  By some miracle, he had managed to get a few hours of sleep before coming into work, but it seemed to do more damage than good as he felt the sting of exhaustion when he closed his eyes for a brief moment.  He debated if he should grab a quick lunch before heading home, feeling his stomach grumble a bit. But the urge to just keel over and pass out seemed to push it back. 

He was  _ exhausted _ … 

It didn’t help that it was Friday, one of the busiest days of the week.  Nyma, a blessing really, had decided to take some of the larger tables before Lance could get to them, something about him taking it easy and getting all the good tips.  He knew she was just worried about him, the events of last night still fresh in their minds. He could feel her gaze on him always drifting to his cheek, and despite Lance covering it with makeup, it felt like she could still see it.  He got the same looks from Rolo everytime he brought the plates back and it made him feel uncomfortable. He knew it wasn’t pity or anything, it was just pure and genuine concern. Probably even murderous intent because Nyma was still pissed at the guy and Rolo pissed that he wasn’t able to help out his friends  But it still didn’t sit well with Lance. 

**_They keep staring at you.  Keep waiting for you to break down.  Do it. Break down in the middle of the whole restaurant!_ **

He grimaced, looking down at his phone and welcoming the distraction from the notification light flashing.  He had messages from several of friends, and apparently a group chat had started amongst them. None of the previews for the messages looked urgent so he simply swiped the notifications away.  He didn’t have time to read all of them at the moment and decided he’d look at them later. After his nap though. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket, shoving himself off the wall as he decided to get back to work.  Florana would come in relatively soon and take over his tables and all he’d have to do was clean up. He could do that, he could make it. 

Nothing was going to stop him from going home and sleeping.

…

**Friday - 12:57pm  
**   
He had thought so at least.  

As minutes flew by and Florana came in, it seemed like everything was going according to plan.  He led her to all of his tables, informing the customers that he would be heading home soon and that she would be taking over, occasionally throwing a few flirtatious remarks.  Florana would only giggle, shaking her head before throwing back some of her own jokes knowing Lance wasn’t serious. With the customers comfort taken care of, he could focus on clean up.  

Except… one thing did seem to prevent him from going straight home.  To be more accurate it was four, and they were people.

“Lance!” He looked up from wiping a table down and looked over, his eyes widening.  A few mixed emotions filled him as he forced a smile on his face, turning to face his friends.  He briefly caught Pidge adding a ‘told you it was the end of his shift’ before they were being led to their usual table by Florana.  

There was several reasons to his conflicting emotions.  While yes he was excited to see his friends at the diner, he was also extremely annoyed that the universe decided to stop him from going straight home.  He loved his friends, he did. But he was still exhausted, and the feeling hadn’t magically gone away. Then his eyes landed on Allura, who was covered up and had looked slightly paler than usual.  He was then worried that the older had decided to ignore her health and came out despite still being sick. But Hunk was keeping her close, making sure she was okay so he was less worried and became more angry.  Why did they decide that it was okay for her to be out if she was still sick? But he couldn’t lie that he was a bit relieved to see her up and around again, haven’t seeing here for almost a week. He mentally groaned as he quickly finished up wiping the table down before going to their table.  

“What are you guys doing here?” He laughed, trying not to sound like he didn’t want them there.  Well he did, but he also didn’t. It was very conflicting. 

“I wanted to come here for lunch and invited the others to join.  I have been cooped up in my room for far too long. I thought I was going to lose my mind.” Allura said, rubbing small circles into her forehead.  Hunk rubbed her back a bit, the group all laughing. Lance smiled then, shaking his head. 

“Poor Allura.  The Princess locked away in her tower.” Pidge teased, Allura laughing and rolling her eyes. 

“The Princess who broke out of her own castle.” She added and the group laughed again, Lance relaxing a bit.  

“Anyway, go finish your shift so you can come join us.  I know you haven’t eaten.” Hunk said, giving Lance a pointed look.  

“Alright, alright.  Sheesh, I can never escape your mom-senses.” He joked.  Hunk suddenly placed a hand on his arm, a serious look on his face.  For a moment, Lance could feel his anxiety rising, not sure what had happened to the mood.  But then Hunk spoke.

“Lance…  I am your Mother.” He said in his best Darth Vader voice.  Lance blinked before bursting out with laughter, Pidge joining, being the only other person there who had watched Star Wars.  Shiro and Allura watched in amusement, laughing at Hunk’s dramatics rather than the reference.

“Oh my- Hunk!” He laughed, shaking his head as he moved to finish up. 

“That’s Mother to you!” Hunk called after him before the door to the back room shut behind him.  He laughed a little bit more, moving to gather his stuff, pulling his apron off and folding it to put away in his bag.  His friends were ridiculous.

**_You wanted them to go away.  Admit it. You just wanted to go home and ignore all of them._ **

His smile faltered, the thought repeating in his head a few times.  He did… But could you blame him? He was looking forward to sleeping his Friday away.  He wasn’t ignoring them because he just felt like it! He wanted to ignore them so he could get some rest.  Because he was tired, because he had just finished a long morning shift and had a long week of restless nights! 

**_Selfish_ ** .

_ Is that such a bad thing?  Can’t I be selfish? Just a little bit? _

**_You’re always so selfish.  Never think of anybody else.  You only think of yourself! You always think of yourself!_ **

Lance’s fingers slipped into his hair, his thoughts clouding any logic that was trying to voice itself.  A knot seemed to tie itself in his stomach, making him feel nauseous as he slowly sat himself against the wall.  He swallowed a bit, resisting the urge to heave up stomach acid as he pulled his knees up, trying to focus on his breathing rather than his own dark thoughts.  He just needed a few minutes. Just needed to not throw up. Just needed to not cry.

He could pull himself together… 

…….

**Friday 1:03pm**

Hunk waited till Lance had disappeared into the kitchen before turning back to the table, his smile now replaced with a look of concern.  Something was off. He couldn’t tell exactly what, but something was definetely off about Lance. And he was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one who thought so.  He could feel the emotion essentially rolling off the rest of the group as well, the tension growing before finally, Allura decided to break the silence. 

“Does…  Lance seem a little off?” She asked, looking around the table.  

“He’s definitely off.” Hunk confirmed, worrying his lip as he glanced back at the door.  “He was off yesterday, and I’m pretty sure he was off since Monday. I just… didn’t notice it until now…” He said, the guilt pooling in his stomach.  

“You were being a nervous wreck with Shay.” Pidge reasoned, but he knew they were feeling guilty too.  They were both so caught up with their own things, they had completely missed Lance. 

“I know, but something was wrong and he still pushed it aside to help me…  And I didn’t even notice! What kind of a best friend am I? I don’t even know what’s wrong!” He sighed, rubbing his forehead a bit.  

“He’s been off since Monday?” Shiro asked, a look of guilt falling onto him.  

“Probably.  He was struggling to stay awake in class.  We just… didn’t think much of it at the time because of our own shit.” Pidge sighed, clearly annoyed with themselves.  Allura frowned a bit, looking to Shiro. 

“Did something happen?” She asked, and Shiro grimaced a bit.

“I came in last night because I wasn’t having a good day.  I was hoping to see Lance, see how he was doing, and kind of forget the day while also catching up with him since I wasn’t around campus for a while.  I figured his odd mood last night was because a customer had punched him, and that he would bounce back after our talk. I didn’t know he had been struggling through the week too.” He shifted a bit, looking uncomfortable for a moment.  A silence fell over them, and Hunk couldn’t help but grip the table in anger. Lance didn’t reach out to them, and it was most likely so he wouldn’t have added to their problems, even if it wouldn’t have. 

“It’s not anyone’s fault.” Allura said quickly, snapping all three of them out of their guilty thoughts.  “We all have our own problems, and we deal with them differently, Lance is no different. His way of dealing with his problems isn’t exactly healthy, but that’s his way.  He cares so much for us all, that he tends to put his ownself second. We have no way to change that, and we cannot force Lance to change either. We can encourage him, but at the end of the day it is his decision whether to change or not.  May I also add that it may be very difficult for him to do so. He has coped this way for his whole life. A few words from us won’t change that. But we can still support him now, despite how much it has already festered.” She said, placing a hand on Pidge’s shoulder, her other reaching out to Hunk’s.  She looked to Shiro, and they all seemed to ease at her words. It was comforting. 

“You’re right.” Shiro said.

“I usually am.” She replied, getting all of them to laugh a little, the tension of the serious conversation easing off a bit.  

“So what’s the plan?” Pidge asked, leaning forward a bit.  

“We give him some time to rest, give him some space, and some reassurance that him taking care of himself is perfectly alright.  If he thinks anything is wrong, he’ll only push his problems aside and try to help us with ours. And while I truly appreciate and love that part of him, it’s only going to push him further to the breaking point.” Shiro said.  

“So…  Let’s give him today and tomorrow.  Sunday is our usual movie night, so we can check on him then.” Hunk offered.

“He knows I’m busy with my projects so I’ll work on those with Matt so he knows I’ll be okay.  Allura has been sick all week, so she’ll be busy collecting missed work. If you want, one of us can help you so Lance won’t offer.” Pidge added.

“That’s sounds perfect.  Hunk, can I ask for you assistance?” Allura asked.

“Of course.  I can also tell you about Shay while we’re getting all your work together.  I’ll also help you catch up and even make you some food to get you back on your feet.” He said, grinning wide.  Their plan was coming together, all that was left was Shiro.

“I’ll be spending time with Adam today or tomorrow so that should reassure Lance that I won’t have another bad day.” He said.  They all shared a smile, the relief of covering all of their bases washing over them all. 

“I’ll try to convince him to get some rest then.” Hunk said, deciding it was the least he could do to try to help his friend.  His  _ best _ friend.

“Operation Let Lance Rest 2k18 is a go!” Pidge declared.  The group laughed at them, Pidge grinning proudly.

…

**Friday 1:23pm**

“You guys better not be causing trouble in my restaurant!” He heard as he walked out of the back room.  He had changed into his normal clothes, work clothes stuffed into the bag in his hands to be washed later.  Luxia was walking away from his friends, smile on her face as she shook her head. He chuckled a bit, spotting the look of feigned innocence on his friends faces.

“Please don’t get me fired.” He joked, voice wavering slightly as he walked up, dropping his bag next to the seats.  Hunk pulled him into a side hug, successfully pulling him into the booth besides him. He felt Shiro’s hand ruffle his hair a bit next, Lance humming happily at the affection.  

“Us?  Get  _ you _ fired?  Please. Luxia would murder us before ever firing you.” Allura teased.  Lance stared at her for a moment before a smile crept on his face, a flutter in his chest.  

“It would be pretty hard to replace all of this.” He said, not sounding a 100% confident, but motioning himself nonetheless.  

“Pretty hard?  More like impossible.  Nobody can replace you bud.” Hunk said warmly.  Lance could feel his face heat up, the complement completely catching him off guard as he sputtered a bit.  The group laughed and he soon joined him.

**_They’re lying!_ **

_ No they’re not! _

“Did you guys order for me?” He asked, choosing to change the topic.

“Yeah.  I got you a few slices of pizza and some soda.  That okay?” Pidge asked. 

“It’s perfect.  I was craving the pizza all day. I swear I was drooling.” He melted at the thought of pizza.  A quick but filling meal, and the soda should give him just enough sugar boost to keep up with his friends.  

Allura then broke into a small ran about her sickness, having also ordered pizza because she had been craving it ever since she got stuck in bed.  Lance listened along, not saying much and opting on leaning against Hunk instead, his body sagging a bit more than he’d like to admit. He kept zoning in and out, focused on fighting his urge to sleep the best he could.  

“Hey Lance.” Hunk said softly, gaining his attention from his ongoing war.

“What’s up Big Bear.” Lance said, calling him a nickname, small smile on his face.

“You feeling okay?” He asked, touching his hand a bit.  

**_Busted._ **

Lance fell quiet, his hand twitching a bit as he took a glance to him.  In the matter of seconds, his smile was gone, and tears were threatening at his eyes.  

“Lance?  Are-”

“I’m just tired from my shift.” He said quickly, looking away.  Hunk’s hand quickly enveloped Lance’s, thumb rubbing comforting circles.

**Liar.  You’re such a fucking liar!**

“Hey…  It’s okay to not be okay Lance.” Hunk said, and all at once, everything kind of hit Lance.  

His exhaustion.   The negative thoughts that kept pestering him.  The way he continuously beat himself up over small things.  The overwhelming feeling of having to make sure all of friends were okay.  The way he felt obligated to take care of them. The way he felt obligated to push his own problems aside.  The way everything seemed to pile up, both academically and emotionally. The stupid ways that he got hurt. It was just a lot, and it hit hard. 

**_You’re being dramatic._ **

“I don’t want to be not okay.  I want to be perfectly okay.” He gritted out, turning his hand so he could hold Hunk’s hand back, lifting his other hand to run his fingers through his hair.  

“I know…” Hunk said softly, resting his cheek on his head.  “Look… Get some rest today okay? We all got some plans for later today and tomorrow.  Movie night is still a go, but until then, go home and get some rest yeah?” He asked. Lance frowned a bit, looking around the table, his concern coming back.   
**_Plans to avoid you.  To get away from you._ **

He winced and held onto Hunk tighter.

“Hey.  We just have work to do.  We all wanted to hang out with you tonight, but you look tired.  Shiro also told us what happened last night. So you go home and get rest or else I’ll call your actual mother to come force you to get some rest.” He threatened and Lance snorted.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t doubt me.  I have her number on speed dial may I remind you.” He said, going as far as actually pulling his phone out and showing him said contact.  Lance stared at it for a moment before snickering. 

“Alright, alright.  You win.” He said reluctantly.  “I’ll get some sleep.”

“Good.”

“If-”

“Lance-”

“If you tell me what all of you guys are doing so I’m not worrying” Lance said, pulling away to look at him.  Hunk blinked before nodding. 

“Of course.” Hunk said before turning to the rest of the group.  “Okay! Quick, before our food comes. What’s everyone’s plans for today and tomorrow?”

Lance carefully listened to everyone.  

Maybe…  Just maybe… everyone would be okay…

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love when the team loves and cares for Lance. I also love when they love and care for each other.  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Comments are appreciated! Till next time.
> 
> (And yes I've seen season 7 and no I'm not going to stop writing just because the fandom decided to go nuts lmao)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small warning, but there is some more negative thoughts, some self-hatred. 
> 
> Also! Samantha_Ravenhearst shared a song that you should also listen to! 6/10 by Dodie. It is a lovely song and I most definitely listened to it while writing this chapter. That and The Draw by Bastille. 
> 
> Thank you again for your lovely comments.

Things to know:

_Keith’s / Lance’s Thoughts_

**_Keith’s / Lance’s Negative Thoughts_ **

...

**Saturday - 9:23am**

[Keith]: Hey Lance

[Keith]: I’m getting ready to head back to campus.  Want to get some lunch?

Keith placed his phone down, checking his bag to make sure he had placed all of his books and homework.  He looked around his room one more time, making sure he didn’t leave anything behind. He had kept his room cleaned, deciding to leave some of his clothes behind for another visit.  He cursed when he looked to his desk, spotting a small box that he needed to take with him, a gift for Lance inside. He quickly grabbed it, going as far as opening it to make sure the gift was still inside.  Once satisfied, he placed the box into his bag, grabbing his phone and checking his messages. He didn’t get a new one.

**_Something’s wrong.  Lance should be up by now but he isn’t answering?_ **

_Could have picked up an extra shift.  He’s probably just working. It’s only been about thirty minutes since I’ve texted him._

**_Or something happened to him…_ **

Keith waited for about a ten more  minutes before checking the time on his phone again, a small frown forming on his face.  He shook the uneasing feeling that crept over his shoulders and quickly stuffed the phone away, leaving the room he had been staying in.  He gripped the strap of his bag, swiping his helmet off from his bed before going downstairs quickly and looking around the house for his mom.  When he finally found her, she was waiting outside on the porch, a cup of coffee in her hands as she sat on the steps. He smiled a little, walking out and letting the door close behind him.  

“Got everything?” She asked, looking up at him and doing a small check on her own, eyes lingering on the helmet for a moment.  

“Yeah.  Helmet, phone, keys, and my bag.” He said, lifting each item up.  She hummed in response, setting her cup down off to the side before standing.  

“And…  Did you remember Lance’s gift?” She asked, a smile tugging more at her lips.  

“In my backpack.  I checked like five times.” He said, laughing as he patted the strap.  She smiled warmly at that, also chuckling a bit.

“Drive safe.  Don’t let me catch you speeding or I’ll kick your ass.” She said, playful, but the threat was there.

“You won’t be the only one.” He chuckled, his thoughts going back to Lance.  He frowned again, the uneasy feeling creeping its way back up.

“Everything alright?” She asked, placing her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it a bit in comfort.  He reached up and held her hand there, taking a deep breath before shaking his head.

“I’m just worried about Lance.  He seemed off Monday, and I was going to check on him after class, but I didn’t get the chance.” He explained, sighing a bit.  Lance could text him that he was fine all he wanted, but Keith wouldn’t know for sure until he actually saw his boyfriend. Lance could hide it, and if something was bothering Lance, then he’d had probably hid it from their friends too.  

“Then go check on him today.” She said, smiling reassuringly.  

“I mean that was the plan.” Keith grumbled.

“Then get going.” She chuckled, giving him a hug before gently nudging him along.  

“Thanks Mom.” He smiled and quickly got on his bike, silently apologizing to the neighbors as it roared to life.  

“And Keith!  Tell him I’ll kick his ass too if he doesn’t take care of himself!” He heard his mom yell over his bike, making him laugh as he pulled out from her driveway.  He gave a quick wave goodbye before driving off, minding the speed limit as he headed back to school.

…

**Saturday - 12:13 pm**

After stopping by his own apartment for a while to clean up, showering in his own apartment more satisfying then when he was at his Mom’s, he went over to Lance’s.  He pulled into his usual spot when he went over, cutting the engine and hopping off his bike in one swift movement, practically ignoring everything around him as he went straight to Lance’s room.  He checked his phone again, wanting to make sure he didn’t get any new messages. He hadn’t gotten any, but he wanted to make sure in case Lance was possibly busy with work rather than something be wrong.

**_Something is wrong.  He hasn’t responded… Maybe he’s mad at you._ **

_He could still be working…  Or sleeping in._

**_Lance…  the morning person… sleeping in?_ **

Keith took a deep breath and cleared his head, digging out his keys and picking out the spare for Lance’s room.  He slowly pushed the door in, being as quiet as possible in case Lance was actually sleeping. He kept his movements silent, closing the door and locking it.  He placed his bag down besides the door, taking his shoes off.

He looked around the room, noting the bag that was tossed off to the side, notebooks and books slipping out to the floor.  Near it was another bag, Keith recognizing it as his work bag when he spotted his uniform sticking out. That meant Lance wasn’t actually at work, meaning he was probably home.  His desk was empty though, papers thrown about, some crumpled up. His laptop was closed, so Lance definitely wasn’t working on any homework. The gut feeling he had was getting worse as he moved towards Lance’s bed, moving to touch the stone that hung over his chest, having replaced the chain while he was at his Mom’s.  

When he did get to Lance, his chest tightened.  Lance was curled up on bed, his body shaking as he hid under his sheets.  Keith carefully and gently pulled the sheets off, biting the inside of his cheek.  Lance’s fingers were digging into his scalp, occasionally pulling at his hair as he whimpered.  His whimpers turned into small broken sobs, tears falling and staining his cheeks. Keith slowly came closer, kneeling down in front of him.  He was about to gently wake him up, but he stopped, spotting the bruise on his cheek. He frowned, his anger flaring at the sight. It didn’t help that he could see the dark bags forming under his eyes, a clear indication that Lance hadn’t been sleeping well or at all in the past few days.  He winced when he noticed that his bottom lip had an open wound on it, Lance clearly biting it to the point he broke skin. It was swollen, and it looked like it hurt each time Lance brushed his teeth against it. Lance was hitting a low, one where his thoughts were probably plaguing him...

Keith took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever reaction Lance would have for him being there.

_Focus…_

“Lance…”He said, gently placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder, gently shaking him a bit.  His eyes widened when Lance shot up from his bed, breathing erratically as he quickly looked around.  His eyes widened when they fell on Keith, blinking a few times before easing back down, sitting awkwardly.  

“Keith?” He asked, blinking a bit.  At first he looked confused, again looking around a bit before staring back at Keith, as if confirming that he wasn’t dreaming.  As soon as he noticed the situation, he quickly started wiping at his face, turning away as he tried to clean himself up. Keith couldn’t help the small smile as he noticed Lance was wearing one of his shirts, one he usually teased Keith about.  He reached out and gently took his hand, leaning down and kissing his knuckles.

_He’ll try to deny anything being wrong now…  If I give him his own time, he’ll open up…_

**_What if he doesn’t?_ **

_He will… hopefully…_

“Want me to order a pizza?  We can watch some cartoons, you know, like we were going to do Monday?” He offered, also offering a chance for Lance to escape if he needed.

“Yeah…  I’d like that.” Lance mumbled.  “I’m… I’m going to go take a shower.” Keith nodded and got up, leaving the bedroom to give Lance his space

…

**Saturday - 12:52pm**

Lance nibbled at his lower lip, messing with his fingers as he sat on the couch in his living room.  He checked over his phone for a minute, but he couldn’t focus on anything and ended up tossing it to the side, hearing it clatter as it bounced off the cushion and onto the floor.  He watched as Keith set up his laptop, pulling up a random Scooby-Doo movie. He would have laughed at the choice, but he was too preoccupied by the thoughts that were swarming around his head, feeling slightly nauseous.  

_Why is Keith here?  Did something happen?_

**_What if the others had said something to Keith?  What if he knew something was wrong?_ **

_He’s here because he’s worried._ ****

**_Doesn’t he have enough to worry about?  He was just having a good time with his family and now he’s here, dealing with you.  You’re a mess. You look absolutely awful and he saw you! He saw you crying! Saw you curled up pathetically!  He saw you! How long do you think he’ll stick around? He’s just going to leave you, just like the others. Maybe that’s why he’s here?  He’s here to end it. To kick you out of his life. He’s here to get rid of you. You’re so annoying. So bothersome. He probably hates you.  The others probably hate you. You hate yourself, why wouldn’t everyone else? Why wou-_ **

“Lance.” Came a soft voice, hands gently wrapping around his wrists and gently tugging at them.  He winced as he let go of his hair, not noticing he had moved to grip it and let the hands pull them away.  He felt the tears well in his eyes and quickly blinked them away, choosing to stare down at his lap rather than look up at Keith.  

“I’m sorry.” He whimpered, trying to refrain from curling up into a ball, his fingers twitching to tug at his hair again.  When his hands did start to move upwards, the hands around his wrists gave a small squeeze, grounding him back again.

“What are you apologizing for Lance?” Keith asked, kneeling in front of him.  Lance glanced up at him for a moment, relaxing a bit when he noticed the patient look he was getting.  

“Because I’m a mess!  Because you were just at your family’s, probably having a good time and now you’re here with me!  You don’t want me to be here! Someone better should be here!” He said, the tears coming back as his voice cracked.

“I want to be here with you and only you.  I don’t want to leave, and I don’t want anyone else to be here.  Just you Lance.” Keith said firmly, rubbing small circles onto his wrists.  Lance looked at him then, trying to find a sign that maybe Keith was lying, that maybe his thoughts were right, but he didn’t find anything.  Instead, Keith looked at him with such a caring look, Lance nearly broke down then.

“So you agree that I’m a mess?” He snorted, a small smile tugging at his lips.  Despite how serious Keith was taking this, he was trying to make some sort of joke to ease the situation.  Not for Keith’s sake, for his own.

“I mean, yeah.  It’s kind of obvious now that you’re not okay.” He chuckled, following Lance’s lead on easing the mood.

“I am far from okay Keith.” He admitted, laughing even though he was also serious.  He slowly pulled his hands away, Keith watching, and wiped the tears in his eyes away, sniffling a bit.  He then grabbed onto Keith’s hands, holding them and humming when Keith held back, giving a comforting squeeze.

“It’s okay to not be okay.” Keith replied and Lance couldn’t help but laugh again, shaking his head when he saw the small smile on Keith’s face.  

Those six words floated around in his head for a while, thinking about his friends as he tried to push away his negative thoughts.  A comfortable silence seem to fall over them, Lance patting beside him for Keith to sit next to him. Once Keith had gotten comfortable on the couch, Lance leaned against him, deciding to half focus on the forgotten movie in front of them.  Keith didn’t push, didn’t force Lance to open up and he appreciated that. Opening up was hard, letting people know what was really going on in his head was terrifying, especially with previous reactions with people he thought he could trust.  But… Keith never reacted in the same way, and while Lance had always been afraid before, he knew that he could trust Keith.

_Keith trusts me…  and I trust him._

…

**Saturday - 1:47pm**

Lance wasn’t sure when he had dozed off, but he jumped when a loud knock came at his door, fear shooting into his body for a moment.  He heard Keith curse under his breath before sitting up, letting him get up to answer the door. It was probably the pizza Keith had ordered.  He looked around for his phone before spotting it still on the floor, leaning over and quickly swiping it up to check the time. He didn’t have the effort to go through his notifications and sat it on the table, sitting back on the couch and hugging his knees.  

The smell of pizza filled his room then, his stomach growling as a reminder that he hadn’t eaten anything since the day before.  He looked towards Keith as he closed the door, watching him as he balanced two boxes on one arm as he held a bottle of soda in his other.  He laughed and got up, letting Keith set the food up on the table as he went to get two cups for them, also swiping some napkins from his small kitchen stash by his desk.  

“Nothing says student depression like watching Scooby-Doo and eating pizza.” Lance joked, plopping onto the couch again.  Keith pulled the table closer, chuckling a bit before joining him.

They sat there and watched the movie, quietly enjoying their pizza and each others company.  Lance relaxed the longer they sat there, shifting so he was leaning against Keith again, occasionally commenting on the movie, Keith occasionally sharing fun facts of the monsters that showed up on the screen.  It was nice, no pressure, no expectations, just a nice and quiet lunch with one another. He could feel Keith’s gaze drift to him on occasion, but whenever he did look back, it wasn’t a look of pity, discomfort, or annoyance.  It was just a pure and welcoming look, and it would make Lance blush, make his heart stutter and make his thoughts quiet down. And then Keith would do something affectionate. A small peck to his head, a squeeze to his hand, a small nudge with his shoulder.  

_...I want to tell him._

**_What if he doesn’t want to listen?_ **

_Logically speaking, Keith would just be blunt about it and tell me._

With that thought in mind, he started working himself up to actually say something.  He thought about what to tell him first. Should he start from the beginning of the week?  Should he share what he thought to himself? He wiped at his cheek when he felt pizza sauce and winced, nearly forgetting about the bruise.  If there’s anything to start with, he figured the obvious would be his best bet.

“So…I got punched Thursday by a drunk student.  Shiro scared him off before he could hit me again and Nyma threatened to kill him more than three times already.” He said, frowning at the image of the large, gross looking bruise on his face from when he had looked into the mirror.

“I’m guessing you held Nyma back from actually fighting him.” Keith murmured.  He reached over and gently touched the area around the bruise, a frown settling on his face.  Lance grabbed onto his hand, holding it as he turned his head to kiss the inside of his palm. Keith smiled, leaning down and giving Lance a quick kiss.  

“He was messing with her, so I stepped between them.  I’m pretty sure she’s keeping an eye out for him right now to kick his ass.  But it was just so stupid. Like, I got hurt earlier too in class. In class Keith!  Look!” He whined, showing him the cut on his hand next. Keith’s frown came back and he hissed at the sight, gently taking his hand and inspecting it.  

“That’s it.  I’m putting you in a bubble.” He said, kissing the cut before looking at him with such a serious look, Lance would have thought he was serious hadn’t there not been the little quirk in his lips.  He laughed and shook his head.

“All by myself?  You do know that means I won’t be able to hold your hand or give you kisses or hugs or any affection at all, right?” He teased.  

“Fuck.” Keith grumbled, a pout on his face.  “Seriously though, does it still hurt? You cleaned it and everything right?” He asked.

“Yeah.  I wrapped it up at work and made sure not to touch anything.  It’s not too deep, but it does still kind of hurt. Probably because I moved it too much.” He said, looking down at it.  There was a moment of silence between them, Keith looking over the cut and his bruise a bit more. Lance smiled at his boyfriend’s actions, knowing full well that he wanted to go after the guy who had punched him, probably even go as far as to fight the chair that broke on him.  The image made him laugh.

“Tell me about the rest of your week?” He asked, and Lance hesitated, drawing into himself a bit.  But then he moved, crawling onto Keith’s lap and wrapping his arms around his neck, getting comfortable there.  When he felt Keith wrap his arms around his waist, he fully leaned into him, taking a deep breath. Then he started telling Keith the rest, eventually just spilling everything that had happened, going into all of his thoughts..  Keith listened, holding him tighter when Lance had started crying again. Through it all, Keith stayed, listened, and did his best to comfort him. But just being listened to was all Lance needed, finally feeling the pressure on his shoulders and chest lift up.

“Oh Lance…  If I could fight all of your thoughts, I would.” Keith said, Lance feeling his fingers brushing his tears away.  Lance laughed, holding onto his shirt.

“Dude, get in line.” He huffed, biting at his lip.  He winced when he nicked at the open wound, moving to mess with his shirt as he grounded himself.  Keith noticed, giving him a small look before he gently nudge him to get up.

“I have to get something from my bag.” He said softly, Lance reluctantly getting off and sitting on the couch.  He watched him get up and walk towards the door, panic filling his head.

**_He’s leaving.  You messed up and now he’s leaving.  He-_ **

But before his thoughts could go further, Keith leaned down and swiped up his bag and promptly returned, sitting next to him and angling himself so he was facing him.  He dug around his bag for a moment, cursing under his breath a few different times before he sighed and pulled out a box, placing his bag onto the floor.

“This is for you.” Keith said, a small smile forming on his face but Lance saw his eyes flicker between him and the box.  He was nervous. Lance rose a brow but slowly took the box, eyeing it curiously. He crossed his legs, facing Keith before opening it.  His eyes widened, a smile forming on his face as he pulled the object out. It was a bracelet, a pendent dangling from it. It was a blue jellyfish, lighter blue spots on the bell.  When he touched it, he noticed how it wasn’t solid, curiously pinching at it.

“It’s one of those pendants you can chew.  You know… since you’re always biting holes into your lips whenever you’re at a low.” Keith mumbled, getting his attention.  “It’s also on one of those retractable string things. So you can tug on it.” He reached over and pulled on the jellyfish a bit, letting it snap back in place.  Lance stared down at it for a moment before back at Keith.

“You…  You’ve bee watching me?” He asked, a teasing smile growing.  But it threw Lance to the moon and back, his heart starting to beat faster as his face grew warmer.

“Yeah.  After you got me this stone, I figured that there might be something that could help you too.” He said, shrugging but smiling all the same.

“Keith…  Thank you.” Lance leaned over, giving Keith a quick kiss before holding his bracelet out.  “Put it on?”

“Sure.”

As Keith put the bracelet on, Lance hummed happily, watching him struggle with the clasp for a bit.  He couldn’t help but let the warmth in his chest grow as he thought about how Keith actually took notice of  the little things he did and how he went as far as to get something to help him with it. While Lance couldn’t completely get rid of his negative thoughts, at least he knew he could lean on Keith when he needed to.  And if yesterday was any sign, he could lean on his friends too.

Tomorrow…  Tomorrow maybe he’d be okay, maybe he wouldn’t be.  But he would be with everyone, so at the very least he’d be somewhat okay.

…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, fun fact, that bracelet that I gave Lance is something that I used to have actually. It didn't have the retractable string initially until i added that to it, but it helped nonetheless when I was at low points. Then it broke, but I do want a new one.
> 
> Anyhoo until next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Heyo! Very sorry for the long wait but I have a small, exciting announcement at the end, so please, please, please read it! Thank you!  
> As always, please enjoy~!

**Sunday - 9:03 am**

Streams of sunlight peeked behind the corners of the curtains, only a sliver of the room receiving the glow of the morning.  But it was enough to stir Lance from his sleep, lapping at his cheeks in comfortable warmth. He hummed happily, leaning into the warmth that cradled his cheek in hopes of getting more.  But the curtains weren’t drawn, and all Lance did was move to a colder spot on the bed. He frowned slightly, forcing his eyes open as he looked towards the window, a pout on his face. He didn’t remember if he or Keith had closed them, but he wished they hadn’t now, spending a moment wishing they would move away on their own, trying to summon his inner ‘force’.  When the curtains didn’t move, he let out a long and quiet yawn, huffing and deciding that he wanted to get up anyway.

When he did start to move, he was stopped when something held onto him, pulling him closer in a protective matter.  He shifted in the hold to look at Keith, blinking a few times before a smile tugged at his lips. Throughout the night, his hair had gotten more wild, sticking up in different angles, some falling into his face.  It was cute. Lance carefully reached up and brushed them away, kissing his forehead before settling back into his hold. Keith’s arm seemed to tighten just a bit more, sighing in what Lance could only describe as content.  He couldn’t help but feel a little selfish as he laid there, realistically being able to move if he wanted to. But instead he stayed, watching Keith for a good while as he reveled in the protective hold he had on him. 

It made him feel wanted.  

It made him feel safe.

He could feel his thoughts start to eat at the back of his mind, trying to push into his head and drown him as he became more awake.  But Lance pushed them away, forced them back, ignored them, because right now all he wanted to do was lay there with Keith holding onto him.  He just wanted to enjoy the moment because damn, it had been a long week. He still felt the hint of exhaustion, but he also felt rested. He didn’t struggle to fall asleep last night, essentially passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he hadn’t woken up once through the night.  It helped that Keith had been there with him, murmuring comforting words until he was asleep. Lance thought Keith would have left afterwards, but he had decided to spend the night, planned on it, and it made his heart do things it probably shouldn’t have. 

So he was going to enjoy it.  He was going be at peace, if even just for a moment.

“Morning.” A sleepy mumble came, making Lance jump slightly.  He huffed when Keith started chuckling, sending a glare at him.  But it softened almost instantly, Lance unable to stay annoyed with Keith’s bed head in existence.  

“Good morning babe.” He hummed, deciding to snuggle closer.  They stayed like that for a while, longer than Lance thought they would, but it didn’t seem like Keith minded.  He only shifted once, and that was because his other arm was starting to cramp. But other than that, Keith kept his hold on Lance, and Lance kept as close as he could.  

It was a funny thing.  Perhaps not comically funny, but one of those... cute funny things that you can’t help but smile stupidly about.  Compared to the beginning of their relationship, they had certainly come a far way. While Lance was more physically affectionate, he wasn’t much of a cuddler when it came to relationships.  Keith was the opposite, which had certainly surprised him after they started dating. Lance had thought he was too bony, too lanky, to stiff to cuddle with, and when it came close in his previous relationships, he would get nervous, get self conscious, and would joke his way out of it.  Keith, who was as patient as he could be, had made him realize that it wasn’t true. And now… here they were, Lance wanting nothing but for them to stay like that. 

…

**Sunday - 10:02 am**

Eventually Lance had to get up, the need to use the bathroom stronger than his want to stay in bed.  When he came back, Keith had pulled the curtains back, the sun brightening up his room. He was sitting on the bed, scrolling through his phone with a bored look on his face.  Lance laughed and quickly walked over to the window and looked outside, humming when he spotted a few students out and about, some enjoying the sun, others lingering in the warmth before continuing on their way to their destination.  He opened the window then, breathing in the fresh air as the breeze blew into his room. It was so nice out, and for once, he actually felt energized enough to go out. He looked back to ask Keith if he was planning on anything before the movie night when he caught his boyfriend staring at him.  

“What…?” He asked, raising a brow at the look he was receiving.

**_Something’s wrong with you._ **

“You’re beautiful.” Keith answered bluntly.  Lance couldn’t help but falter over his words, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth to stop the stupid sounds that were leaving.  He quickly turned away, a pout on his face when he heard Keith chuckle at his embarrassment. 

**_He’s lying.  How can someone like you look beautiful?  You’re ugly… Maybe he’s making fun of you…  You did just wake up after all…_ **

Lance winced, trying to push back the frown that tug at the corners of his mouth.  He hadn’t done his morning routine, hadn’t even gotten dress and Keith had complimented him.  He couldn’t help as his eyes drifted towards his mirror, taking in his appearance, lingering on every small detail.  His hair was an utter mess, sticking up in odd angles and clearly tangled. Parts of it was still straight from when he did it yesterday, but other parts had started to lose it’s form, curling and adding to the mess.  His freckles also seemed to stand out more, the sunlight acting as a spotlight on his splotchy skin. The bruise was more prominent than ever, dark black and blue. It looked as painful as it was. He could also see where he had bit his lip, an angry red sticking out compared to the usual color.  He didn’t even want to look at his body, already feeling how his limbs were too long, his shoulders sticking out and the faint pain in his hand and-

_ How…?  How can he say that I’m beautiful?  I’m not- _

“To me you are beautiful.  You may not think it, hell you may not believe me right now Lance, but god…  To me you are... so beautiful.” Keith said suddenly, his arms wrapping around him as he tried to pull his gaze away from the mirror.  “Everything you think is wrong, I think is fine. I think is just another part of you that I love. The bruise reminds me just how caring, and just how brave you are, which adds to the long lists of reasons why I love you.” 

Lance could feel his eyes well up, wanting to so desperately believe in what Keith was saying.  And after a moment of just repeating his words in his head, he did. He tore his eyes away from his own reflection, instead looking at Keith who was looking back at him through the mirror.  He swallowed down any response he had that were negative and couldn’t help but smile. It was small at first, but his laugh grew until he was full on laughing, shaking his head at his own ridiculousness.  He was suppose to be the romantic in the relationship, the one to whoo Keith off his feet. Clearly, Keith was winning on the whole ‘whoo’ing’. Especially since he was taking his insecurities in account.

“Since when did you get so good at this?” He asked, leaning back and giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

“I’ve had a lot of help from someone.  They… They’ve helped me through quite a bit.” Lance smiled at that, watching Keith’s eyes soften.  

“Practice does make perfect.” He mused, letting his eyes close as he felt Keith’s lips on his shoulder.

“It helps that I practice on someone as incredible as you.” Lance could feel the grin before he saw it, feeling his blush warm the tips of his ears.  He moved to whack Keith, but he missed when the other quickly stepped away, getting distance between them before Lance could even try to hit him again.  

“Are you fu- Oh my god Keith.  Stop! You’re insufferable.” Lance whined, covering his face.  Keith only laughed in response, kissing his cheek quickly. 

“You still love me.” He teased, moving to grab his clothes.

“Shut up…  Help me figure breakfast out before I kick your ass out.” Lance grumbled, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at him..

“You won’t kick me out.” 

“No I won’t…  But it is tempting.”

… 

**Sunday - 5:49 pm**

Most of their day was spent outside, Lance convincing Keith that it would be a better place to do homework than going to the library.  It gave Lance a bit more energy when he was outside, no longer cooped up in his room where he stored his multiple emotional breakdowns.  It was an entirely different feeling being outside, plus he really liked being out in the sun. He had also done fairly well homework wise, tackling some of his smaller assignments while also getting a big chunk out of his group project done.  He had to admit, as stressful as the assignments were, it did make him feel better too, a sense of accomplishment washing away the thoughts that called him useless. Plus, all his focus was spent on his homework that he had forgotten about his thoughts for a good while.  

As the sunlight began to melt together into the oncoming sunset, Lance figured he had done enough for the day, stretching out his back and listening to it crack.  He saved his work before closing his laptop, stretching his legs out next. He looked over to Keith to ask if he was ready to call it the quits, but he stopped when he saw the scowl on his face, clearly reading about something he didn’t like in the article before him.  He kept his laughter to himself, pulling his phone out to let Keith finish reading. Or continue… It honestly all depended on how much his professor’s hated him. He looked through his notifications, snorting when he saw a preview of Hunk’s messages.

[Hunk]: Lance McClain

[Hunk]: My bro for life

[Hunk]: The only man I would ever fall in love with other than Gordon Ramsay.

[Hunk]: The Ocean to my Beach

[Hunk] The Jelly to my Peanut Butter

[Hunk]: The Shark Boy to my Lava Girl

[Hunk]: If you don’t show up to Movie Night, I will personally hunt you down and drag you here out of pure love.

Lance choked on laughter as he read through his messages, unable to stifle it down.  It took him a minute to actually calm down enought to actually type a reply, waving Keith off when he asked if he was okay.  

[Lance]: A little dramatic there aren’t you?

[Hunk]: I came to pick you up and you’re not here ):

[Hunk]: Where are you T^T

[Lance]: I’m on the quad.  Was doing homework with Keith

[Hunk]: Ah

[Hunk]: Had me worried there bud.  Also didn't know Keith was back. Make sure he comes too.  Tell him I made food for everyone, including the chicken dip

“Hunk said to make sure you came to Movie Night.  He made chicken dip.” Lance relayed, giggling when Keith’s eyes seemed to light up as he began to eagerly pack his things.

“Tell him thanks.” 

[Lance]: Keith said you are a blessing and that he’s definitely coming.

[Hunk]: Did he really tho?

[Lance]: In his own, Keith-y way.  

He pocketed his phone then, joining Keith in packing up.  He made sure they didn’t leave anything behind, garbage or otherwise before tugging Keith along.  

“Someone’s excited.” 

“Hunk made food.  Of course I am!” Lance snorted, slipping his hand into Keith’s.

…

**Sunday - 6:35 pm**

“You’re late bitches!” 

“Pidge!” Shiro yelled in his warning voice.  Lance and Keith followed Shiro into his apartment, Lance grinning towards Pidge who was sitting upside down on the couch.  

“How dare you refer to me that way.  I am  _ the  _ Boss Ass Bitch.” Lance joked, going as far as posing, hand under his chin.  

“Oh my god.” He heard Keith and Shiro.  

“Welcome Lance.” Allura laughed, dropping a pile of blankets onto the floor beside the couch followed by Adam who dropped a bunch of pillows.

“Hey bud.” Adam chuckled, ruffling his hair.

“My hair!” Lance whined, quickly swatting Adam’s hands away before fixing it, glaring when the older student simply just laughed.

He plopped onto his usual spot on the couch, grabbing the pile of movies from the table to see what everyone had picked, grinning when he saw a few of the group’s favorites.  Shiro and Adam were setting up the T.V, occasionally bickering about some of the cords. He could hear Hunk rummaging around in the kitchen, Pidge informing him that he wouldn’t let anyone in because he wanted to finish up with his food.  Keith was pulling out the movies he and Lance picked, tossing them over after snorting at Lance’s choice. He passed the movies to Pidge then, who sat at the other end of the couch. Allura sat next to them then and they started working together to figure out what order the movies should go in, Allura being the one who normally did it.  

“What?  You don’t like musicals?” He asked as Keith placed their bags by the door.

“It’s just always amusing to watch everyone sing along to all of the songs.  Besides, it’s better than the alternative.” He shrugged before taking up his spot besides Lance, taking the edge of the couch.  

“What was the alternative?” Hunk asked as he emerged from the kitchen finally, holding several plates of food.  He sat them on the table neatly, going into the kitchen once more to get the rest of the stuff. Once he had finally set everything up, Lance stood up.

“Hunk Garret!  My bro for life, the only one I’d leave Keith for-” 

“Fair enough.” Keith mumbled, the rest of their friends snickering.

“-The Lava Girl to my Shark Boy, the beach to my ocean, the peanut butter to my jelly!  I have arrived!” Lance cried, tossing himself at Hunk once his arms were free. Hunk laughed, giving him what Lance called his famous bear hug.  

“It’s about time you came.  I was ready to go out and find you.” He laughed, sitting them down onto the couch with a tired puff.  

“Blame Keith.  He forgot to pick a movie out so we had to stop by his place to get something.” He quickly said, yelping when Keith gave him pointed look.

“No.  We’re late because I had to convince you not to pick the Bee movie.” He grumbled.

“What!?  You stopped him from picking the Bee movie!?  You fool! That movie is gold!’ Pidge whined.

“Thank you!” Lance yelled, reaching out to hold Pidge’s hand.  

“It would have been the Bee’s knees.” Shiro said suddenly, a chorus of groans as a response.  

“On second thought, thank god you didn’t.  Shiro would have made stupid puns all night.” Pidge grumbled.

“What!?  My puns aren’t that bad…” Shiro pouted. 

“No offense babe…  but they’re as bad as you’re cooking.” Adam piped in, connecting the computer to the T.V. while Shiro was distracted.  Shiro whined in offense, the group laughing as he pouted to himself. They only laughed more when Adam leaned over to peck his cheek which made Shiro then smile.  

“How are you feeling Lance?” Allura asked, passing the first movie to Adam so he could plug it in.  

“I’m…  getting there.” He offered, thinking about it for a moment.  The thoughts were buzzing at the back of his head, but it was easy not to listen to them while he was with friends and while he was genuinely having a good time.  So he said as much. “It’s better being surrounded by everyone rather alone. Just… took me a while. I also got some much needed sleep.” He laughed. 

“I’m glad you are here with us Lance.  It would not have been the same if one of us were missing.” She said, rubbing his arm a bit with a smile.  Lance smiled back and nodded. 

“We’re all glad.” Keith added, the rest of them all sounding in agreement.  Lance could feel tears well again, quickly waving his hand in front of his face.

“Okay!  We all need to stop being sappy now before I start crying!” Lance shouted, hiding his face into Keith’s chest.  He snuggled closer when he heard everyone laugh. 

_ God I love them… _

**_They don’t love you.  They’re all lying… There’s no way they’re actually glad to see you here._ **

_ No…  They do.  _

Lance shoved his thoughts back bitterly, the urge to fist fight himself growing.  He huffed and adjusted himself, absorbing the warmth of his friends instead. He was getting annoyed with his thoughts now, getting agitated with the way it would shove into his life when he was genuinely having a good time.  It was a stupid cycle Lance was trapped in, one that he was working on escaping. Hopefully… one day he would be able to. 

“Alright, let’s dig in!” Hunk yelled, the group cheering.

…

After passing food around, everyone settled down together, Adam and Shiro taking a spot on the floor in front of the couch.  The rest of them piled onto the couch, comfortably cuddling with one another as the movie started. Lance hummed happily as he leaned back against Keith and Hunk, snuggled between them.  He nibbled on his food, looking over his friends and watching them, smiling as he kept an eye on all of his friends. They all looked comfortable, smiles on their faces when they weren’t stuffing their faces with Hunk’s food.  On occasion someone would quote the movie making the rest of them laugh or join in. In the privacy of Shiro’s apartment, everyone seemed to relax more, be more of themselves, be happy. It was nice.

So maybe he wasn’t exactly okay this week.  Maybe he was still struggling. But right now… 

He was more okay then he had been all week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m very happy at how this fic turned out and I’m very sad that it has come to end.   
> But! As mentioned before, I have something to share~!   
> I’m working on a new Klance fic, so if you are interested, please check it out! First chapter is up!   
> Again, thank you for reading, thank you for the comments, thank you for following me on this little adventure. Hope you’ll join me on the next one!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and feedbacks are welcomed!  
> You can find me on Tumblr too! Feel free to send a prompt or an ask! celestial-writing-fox


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